Keeping the Homefires Burning
by SprouseGoose
Summary: This is the concurrent story to New Kids on the Boat.  While it focuses on what happens on the ship, this story will focus on what is going on back at home.  This too is another chapter in the Cailey on Deck series and follows Parenthood.
1. Adapting

_Chapter 1_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

The ride home from the boat was a somber one. In the Martin families, the guys were in one car while the girls were in the other ones. The guys remained fairly stoic on the way home. Ben was trying to be tough while Cody had to keep reminding himself how important his first day on the boat had been. While he was going to miss his kids, he wasn't about to deny them the same opportunity that he had. In the minivan, both ladies had tears in their eyes. While Annie was looking forward to her own bathroom, she liked having Abby around. And Charlie could be counted on as a voice of reason with Ben sometimes. For Bailey, it was having two of her babies leaving the nest. While she had had months to try to get used to it, actually having to leave them at the boat was a different story. When they all got home, Ben and Annie were going to head up to their rooms when Cody stopped them.

"Just because you all have another week before school starts, I want you both to be prepared to start going to be early so you are used to it. And next Saturday, your Mom and I will take you both shopping for everything you need for your first days of middle school."

Both Annie and Ben groaned about having to go to be early, but both just nodded before they headed upstairs. Cody turned and Bailey appeared to be a million miles away.

"Bails?"

Bailey turned to Cody. "Yeah?"

"You okay?"

Bailey sighed. "I don't know. I just didn't think it would be this hard..."

Cody walked over to her and wrapped her up in his arms. "I know. I guess we know how our parents felt now, huh?"

Bailey nodded against Cody's shoulder. "I had no idea. I wonder if they went home and cried like I'm doing now..."

Cody soothingly rubbed her back. "Probably. But they knew then what we know now. We just sent our kids on the adventure of a lifetime. While we will miss them, we have to remember how great of an adventure we had while we did it..."

Bailey pulled back. "You think so?"

Cody smiled at her. "I know so. My first day on the boat changed my life forever. I was meeting people who would play major roles for the rest of my life. I bet Abby and Charlie are too."

Pausing to consider that, Bailey smiled back. "You're right." She paused again and frowned. "I also remember the summer after our sophomore years was the last time I was home for longer than a week at a time. Will that happen to our kids too?"

Cody shrugged. "Maybe so. But if you hadn't come to Boston, I was going to go to Kettlecorn. So, then, it would have been me that hadn't gone home that next summer. The point is, we were living our own lives then and our parents understood that."

Bailey sighed. "Something else we'll have to learn to understand too..."

Cody smiled at her again. "Remember, it wasn't so easy for us. It took me and your Dad being chloroformed and locked in a supply closet for he and I to really get to know each other. I had to prove to him how much I loved you and promise to take care of you."

Bailey shook her head and laughed. "Wow...Did that ever backfire on Barbara and Agnes."

"Sure did. I remember having to hold you back or you would have destroyed Barbara..."

Bailey smiled at him. "Well, no one messes with my feller and gets away with it..."

Cody laughed. "And that included my mother..."

Bailey's eyes went wide and she held her hand up to her face. "Oh my gosh! I did do that, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did...But it worked, because she's told me you aren't just a daughter-in-law to her. She's said you're one of her two daughters."

"Really?"

"Really. So, you see, before that happens to any of our kids, we'll have to meet whoever is in their lives and approve of them like our parents did."

Bailey paused. "I guess so...And I guess one day, we'll probably have four sons and four daughters."

Cody smiled. "Exactly. Besides, while we are going to miss Charlie and Abby, there will be a few perks..."

Bailey just looked at him incredulously. "Like what?"

"Well, for one, our water, electric and grocery bills will be cut by a third..."

"Cody!"

He grinned. "I'm kidding, Sweetheart. But, we will only have two kids we have to keep an eye on. Only two kids to make sure are tucked into their beds before we go to sleep. Only two kids...for us to pawn off on to others for when we want a night for ourselves..."

Bailey laughed. "Okay, that's true."

"And in three years, while others will still have kids in the house, we'll be empty nesters..."

Bailey smiled. "I guess so. Will we know what to do with ourselves when its just us two again?"

"I think so. I mean, we did alright with just the two of us for nine years didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did. Some of my fondest memories are of our senior year, living in New Haven and our penthouse here in Boston. Though, it will be quiet around here..."

Cody grinned. "I don't know about all of that. One, look who our neighbors are. We'll be asked to babysit constantly. And two, without the kids around, I can chase you all around the house without the worry of the kids catching us. I am thinking we replace our hot tub with a smaller, cozier one for two. And I was thinking. You know that empty space we have in our bathroom?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah?"

"Well, what would you think of us building a personal sauna in there. I still remember the one we shared in Phoenix..."

Bailey smiled. "Me too. I would like that..."

"So would I...Hard part is going to wait three years to have it built..."

Bailey grinned. "Who says we have to wait for it?"

Cody just looked at her. "God, I love you..."

"I know you do. Plus, you do start your new position on Monday. It might be good to have us a place where we can both unwind after long days..."

"I know..." Cody paused. "You don't think I'll turn into a Dr. Kelso like chief of medicine, do you?"

Bailey laughed. "Nah. Not yet anyways. You're not that cynical and jaded yet..."

Cody shook his head. "Thanks..."

"I'm kidding. I know you'll do a great job..."

"I hope so. Instead of worrying about one department, I have to worry about the whole hospital now..." He sighed. "And I know how it works. When Dr. Buckley took over, every department head bombarded him with requests to see how he would handle things..."

"You'll do fine. Remember, you have an economics degree from Yale. You've had some of the brightest minds in the country teach you about what to do."

Cody nodded. "You're right. And I'm getting throw in to the deep end. One of my first tasks is to finalize our budget for next year..."

Bailey sighed. "Same here. Fortunately, the board just has to approve it..."

Cody smiled at her. "Look at it this way. You'll have first hand knowledge of what all Tipton Industries has their hands in. It wouldn't surprise me if they had a secret mining operation on the moon or something crazy like that..."

Bailey laughed. "True..."

"More importantly, you can help fight for more funding in areas that are needed..."

"True as well..."

"And if they are making charitable contributions and wanting more write offs, I would be happy to wine and dine you to show you the virtues of Mass General..."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Cody..."

He grinned. "Sorry. I just know that's one of my new duties now. To secure donations from old donors and find new ones. And every charitable hospital event, I have to be there."

"Oh really? Does that mean I have to attend them as well?"

Cody reached for hand and kissed it. "I hope so. Show people I can do something right because I will have the most beautiful woman on my arm..."

Bailey smiled. "Well, I suppose I can do that..."

Cody paused. "Unfortunately, it might also mean I have to do more traveling and attend more meetings. So, I won't be as home as much as I was or I would like."

"Its okay, Sweetie. I understand. I know it will be a bit of a change, but we'll adapt to it. I mean, during grad school, we were both incredibly busy, but we still found time for each other. And when the kids were newborns, we didn't have a lot of time for each other, but we still found time then too. We'll be okay."

Cody smiled. "Thanks, Bails. I promise you that in a few years, I'll be yours and all yours. I'll be around so much, you'll get sick of me..."

Bailey smiled back. "I seriously doubt that."

"And if I have to go somewhere we've never been, we'll see if you can go with me. I've always loved exploring new places with you."

"Me too. There were a few places we went on our road trip that I'd like to go back and see again. Spend some more time seeing everything..."

"Consider it done. In fact, I'm not supposed to know this yet, but there is a convention in Las Vegas early next year. I'd love to take you and show you the bright lights..."

Bailey laughed. "I think I'd like that...And I admit, ever since you told me about the deep fried Twinkies, I've been curious..."

Cody laughed too. "We'll make a stop. Just don't tell Woody and Addison that though or we'd have to mail some back."

"Good point..."

Cody pulled Bailey back into his arms. "We'll be okay. This is just the next phase of our lives. We adapted to being away at college on our own. We adapted to both of us being in grad school. We adapted to being parents. And if I may say, each time, I think we adapted pretty darn well."

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, we did."

"And its okay to miss Charlie and Abby. We both will. But its not like we are every going to see them again or they are going to get married tomorrow..."

"I know..." She sighed. "I think I'm worried for nothing. I mean...what are the odds that our kids will find their soul mates on the first day on the ship like we did?" Bailey began laughing. "That would just be insane..."

_To be Continued..._

**AN: Okay, this is the parallel story to New Kids on the Boat. I've never done two stories the take place at the same time, so not sure how its going to work. I won't be updating one one day and the other the next. Both will take turns being where the action is, so I will be focusing on that one more than the other. But, at times, the two stories will overlap and at times, merge. We'll see if this works or if it will flop or if it will leave me so confused I don't know what I'm doing.**** Oh, and Andy Dalton, welcome to Cincinasty. The good news is your hair matches the uniforms. The bad news is you are now a Bengal. Oh, and I will have another surprise posted in a little while.**_  
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	2. New Days

_Chapter 2_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Monday did bring with it a big day – but not just for the kids. For some of the parents, it was a important day as well. Three of them, Cody, Zack and Todd were beginning their new positions. And Bailey was due to attend her first board meeting since the month long vacation. Of course, Cassie still had another week before her semester started, but she was watching the kids that week.

For Zack, it was time to return to the scene of the crime...except there was no crime but he and Cody had been arrested anyways. But that Monday, Zack made sure he had his new university ID on him so there would be no unfortunate incidents. And arriving at his office, he immediately made himself comfortable. Leaning back in his chair, he kicked his feet up on his desk and just let himself take a well deserved breath.

Of course, that wasn't to last too long. At 8:30 on the nose, an older woman just walked into his office, walked up to his desk and glared at him. Zack just looked at her.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm Mrs. Potts. I'm your secretary."

Zack nodded. "Cool. Have a first name?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

Zack sat back. "I see. Well, what can I do for you, Mrs. Potts?"

"I just wanted to make sure you knew how things worked around here..."

Zack cut her off. "I'm pretty sure dictating how things work around here is up to me."

"Look, I've been working here for..."

Zack cut her off again and help up his fist. "You see that World Series ring right there? Do you have one of those? And is your name on the door? Look, I'm sure you are used to how things work around here. But I'm not. And I'm the boss, so lets just go with the way I want things done to begin with, and we'll go from there."

Mrs. Potts just glared at him. "Very well, Mr. Martin. Here is your schedule for today. This morning, you're supposed to meet with the coaches of the non-revenue sports. For lunch, you are supposed to be the guest of the local booster club. And this afternoon, you are scheduled to make an appearance at the football practice facility."

Zack nodded. "Alright. What time am I meeting with my Director of Compliance?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I refuse to watch this athletic department be brought down to its knees because of NCAA sanctions. I would like to speak with the Director of Compliance to make sure he or she knows what I am expecting of them."

Mrs. Potts just looked at him funny. "Seriously?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"The last AD practiced a don't ask, don't tell policy."

Zack grinned. "Well, I don't. I don't mind our coaches pushing the rules to their limits, but any breaking of the rules is unacceptable." Zack paused. "Whoa...Did I just really say that?" He shook his head. "Anyways, I would like that meeting set up as soon as possible."

"You know, the booster club might not want to hear that."

"Tough. I think we have all the resources to compete in the ACC at a high level without selling our souls. Our football team is already one of the best in the conference. Yeah, in basketball, we'll have to deal with Duke and UNC, but we have an advantage of being here in New England and offering kids from the around here a chance to play in a good conference and close to home. Besides, the Big East is overrated anyways."

"You graduated from a Big East school..."

Zack grinned. "Yeah, but its not signing my paycheck right now..."

Across town, on the top floor of the Tipton Tower, Bailey had made her way into the directors' conference room and organized her things. As she was double checking the agenda, a man entered the room with his briefcase. He noticed Bailey and made his way over to her.

"You must be Dr. Martin."

Bailey looked up. "That's me."

He smiled. "I'm Wade Harrison. I'm new to the board myself. I'm the new Director of Tipton Transportation. I understand you were gone for our last couple of meetings."

Bailey nodded. "Yes, I was on an extended family vacation with my husband, children and our close friends."

"Husband? Too bad."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "I would beg to differ. Anyways, if you don't mind, I'm going to get back to reviewing today's agenda. I have plenty of work to do when I get back to my office. Several dogs and cats to neuter. I'm quite adept at using a scalpel, but I'm not opposed to using my bare hands."

The guy just backed off as Bailey shook her head. Why did some men think that just because a woman was in the boardroom that she was there for eye candy and not because she was competent? Well, at least the person in charge, Mr. Tipton, had shown that he respected her abilities. Then Bailey paused. Tipton Transportation. She could have sworn she remembered reading something about that division before she had left.

Quickly, she went through her notes from previous meetings and finally found it. Tipton Transportation had until about six months ago been hemorrhaging money, and Mr. Tipton had not been happy about it in the least. The previous Director had been let go, and Mr. Tipton had promoted the division's newest wunderkind to turn around the division.

She looked up and saw Mr. Harrison leaning against the desk of the secretary outside, flirting away with her. Bailey shook her head. Maybe it wasn't the old director's fault after all with all of his subordinates worried about other kinds of assets. She paused again and looked back to her earliest notes from when she first began on the board. That was odd. Then, the transportation division was steadily one of the company's highest earners.

Why would one of the most successful divisions suddenly start to flounder? It wasn't gas prices as that was always passed on to the customer or used as a tax deduction. No, this didn't pass the smell test. But before Bailey could think any more about it, the rest of the board members entered the room followed by Mr. Tipton.

"Good morning, Boys and Girls. As you all know, it getting to be that time to approve the budget for next year. So, I'm going to ask you all to take the proposed budget of another division and go over it with a fine toothed comb. Any questions?"

Bailey raised her hand. Mr. Tipton looked over at her. "Yes, Dr. Martin."

"If its okay with you, Mr. Tipton. I'd like to volunteer to review the books of Tipton Transportation."

Wilfred smiled. "Alright. I think that's a good idea. Of everyone here, you have the brains and common sense."

Bailey smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Tipton."

"By the way, how are the kids enjoying the boat?"

Bailey laughed. "They couldn't get away from Cody and I fast enough."

Wilfred just shook his head and laughed. "Teenagers..." He paused. "That reminds me, I need to speak to you after the meeting."

Bailey nodded and the meeting continued as scheduled. Once it was over, Bailey hung around to wait on Wilfred Tipton.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Tipton?"

"I need a favor. My doctor tells me I need to go in for a cardiology check up in the next few weeks." He grinned. "Unfortunately, the best cardiologist in Boston has become a hospital bureaucrat. I need you to convince him to make an exception for me and schedule me an appointment."

Bailey smiled. "And you think I have influence on him?"

Wilfred just looked at her. "Oh please. Everyone knows all you would have to do is say the word, and the other Dr. Martin will do whatever you say."

"Somebody has to keep him in line." She grinned. "I'll talk to him tonight."

"I would appreciate that."

Unbeknownst to them, there was a private conversation out in the hall between two agitated individuals.

"I thought the deal was we would agree to review the other's divisions. If Dr. Doolittle in there goes through mine, this could be very bad!"

"What am I supposed to do? She volunteered before I could do anything..."

The man paused. "We have to find some way to make her play ball..."

Further across town, Cody was sitting in his new office as Chief of Staff. He was sitting back in his chair when he heard a knock at his office door. He groaned.

"Who is it now?"

Dr. Todd St. Mark walked into his office and grinned. "Well, nice to see you again too..."

Cody laughed. "Sorry. I thought it was someone else coming to ask me for something." He paused. "You aren't here to ask me for something are you?"

"Well, I was thinking my office could use a nice ficus..."

Cody shook his head. "No can do...If I give you a ficus, everyone else will want one too..."

"Even a plastic one?"

"I think that's all my office will be able to handle." Cody handed Todd a sheet of paper. "That's my travel schedule for the rest of the year..."

Todd looked over it. "Poor baby...South Beach, Hilton Head, the Hamptons. Real tough places you have to go. Oh I forgot, there is Las Vegas next March."

"Trust me. I won't be there to have fun. I will be there kissing butt and begging for money." Cody paused. "I just hope Bailey is able to go with me to these places."

Todd grinned. "If she can't, I will."

Cody laughed. "No offense, but taking barefoot walks on the beach with you just isn't my idea of fun."

Todd gave a mock pout. "I see how it is..."

"Its not you, Todd. Its me."

"You two need to tell me something?"

Both turned and saw Anita grinning at the both of them. Cody grinned. "Nope. What can I do for you?"

"I have to have an excuse to come see my favorite boss?"

Cody sighed. "You've heard Joyce is announcing her retirement next week and want me to consider promoting you to head cardiology nurse?"

"Well..."

"I can't promote you to a position that's still currently filled." Cody smiled. "Talk to me in two weeks."

Anita grinned. "Thanks, Bossman..."

Cody shook his head and checked his watch. "I think I'm going to call it a day. I'm tired."

Todd paused. "You can't just yet. There's still someone to see you."

"Who?"

"Dr. Murphy."

Cody shivered. "Pathology...those guys give me the creeps. Seriously, who wants to hang out with dead bodies down in the morgue all day? I mean, I reeked of formaldehyde for a year in med school. Bailey would kill me if that was my permanent scent." He sighed. "Send him in so I can get this over with. I swear, I think I need to add one of those take a number things outside of my office."

__To be Continued...__


	3. Plans, Plans and More Plans

_Chapter 3_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

After finishing his last meeting with the pathologist, Cody hurried up and got out of his office before anyone else could find him and stop him from going home. Even when he got to his SUV, he wasn't taking any chances. Having his own parking space was nice, but not when everyone immediately knew what kind of car you drove. But, he was able to get out of the parking garage without any further delays. And twenty minutes later, he sighed in relief when he was able to safely pull into his garage. Once inside, he looked around trying to find Bailey. And he found her in their home office reviewing something intently.

Being as quiet as possible, he snuck up behind her and kissed her neck. Bailey was startled, but she grinned when she looked up and saw him.

"Well, good evening, Mr. Chief of Medicine..."

Cody laughed. "Don't you start on me too..."

"Busy first day?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah. Everybody...and I mean everybody stopped by to see me today wanting one thing or another."

Bailey smiled. "Well, I know of someone else who wants something..."

"If its you, just name it."

"I'll remember that later, but its actually Wilfred Tipton. His doctor wants him to see a cardiologist for a check up, and he wants you to be that cardiologist."

Cody shrugged. "Just tell him to call my office and schedule an appointment."

"Thanks, Sweetie.'

Cody looked down at what Bailey was looking at. "What's that?"

"Oh, its the proposed budget for Tipton Transportation Division..."

Cody grinned. "Doing some light reading?"

Bailey laughed. "No, Wilfred wants each board member to review the budget of another department, and I volunteered to do this one."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I was looking at my notes from previous meetings, and something just wasn't adding up. So, I wanted to take a better look at their numbers."

Cody just gave her a look. "And this from the person who always gives me grief when I would go into Boston Holmies mode..."

Bailey gave him a look back. "Do you see me dressed as a love seat?"

"Well...no...but you did look amazing in that houndstooth bikini..." He grinned at Bailey. "Do you still have that?"

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Focus, Cody."

"Oh yeah...well, if there's anything you need me to do, just let me know. Otherwise, I'll go change and start dinner."

"Thanks, Sweetie."

Cody was about to leave the room before he paused and turned around. He leaned down and kissed her.

"Been needing one of those all day."

Bailey shook her head and laughed. "Get out of here..."

After dinner, Bailey and Cody were cleaning up and doing the dishes when Bailey turned to Cody.

"Oh my gosh...I almost forgot. I got a phone call from Abby just before you got home."

Cody lit up. "Yeah? How are they doing?"

Bailey smiled. "Today was their first day of school."

Cody grinned. "Always one of my favorite days of the year. Did they say they were having fun?"

"Yeah, they are. And she said all of their roommates were great. She even said we knew two of them."

"We do?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah, Charlie's roommate is Mickey Horton's son, Derek. I actually remember telling his wife about Seven Seas High. I guess she was listening."

"Huh...small world."

"And Abby's roommate is the girl they met on the boat when we were there several years ago."

Cody paused. "Girl they met? Oh...the girl we played frisbee with in the pool. The girl that..." Cody looked back down at the sink and continued scrubbing. "Nevermind."

Bailey just looked at him. "The girl that what?"

"She...what was her name? Miranda?"

"Marissa."

"That's it. She's the girl Charlie got all tongue tied over."

Bailey gasped. "I remember that now! What do you think this means?"

Cody shrugged. "Who says it has to mean anything? Just a huge coincidence maybe..."

Bailey just looked at Cody again. "Really? Mr. the fates brought us together is telling me it was coincidence?"

Cody smiled. "Okay, okay...Well, maybe its the fates bring them back together? Is that better?"

"NO!"

"Bails...We've already talked about this before. We had our adventure on the boat, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Its our children's turn. Let them have their own adventure."

Bailey shook her head. "Fine..."

Cody grinned. "Speaking of adventures..." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "Here is a list of places I'm going to have to travel to for the rest of the year. I would love it if you could join me as much as you can..."

Bailey took the list and looked at it. "Well...I would love to go back to Miami with you. And Hilton Head does sound like fun. And I've never been to the Hamptons..."

"Good." Cody teased her. "Because if you can't go, I'll have to take Todd. And I have no desire to see him in a bikini..."

Bailey laughed and rolled her eyes. "I don't think anyone does..."

"So, can you check to see if you can go with me?"

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, I'll see what I can do..."

Cody grinned. "Who knows...Maybe when I see Wilfred Tipton, I can talk him into a large donation and get everyone off my back for a while?"

"Good luck with that..."

Cody shrugged. "Worth a shot..."

"Well, I think I'm going to get back to looking over that budget..."

"You sure about that? I couldn't convince you to put it away for the night?"

"And how would you do that?"

Cody grinned. "I'm sure we'll come up with something..."

Bailey shook her head and grinned back. "Well, I guess we could..."

Meanwhile, across Boston, two men were sitting in an office speaking with each other.

"So, what's your idea to get Martin not to rock the boat?"

"I'm not sure yet. Were you able to pull her confidential company file?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Maybe we could try to seduce her and blackmail her to keep quiet?"

The other man shook his head. "That would never work. She's madly in love with her husband. That would be a waste of time."

"Well, what's your idea?"

"There has to be someway to get to her. I mean, I haven't worked this hard for all of my work to go up in flames. Do you have any idea what it took to get myself named director of the transportation division? And if she's as smart as they say she is, she'll find where I've been cooking the division's books to get my dear old boss fired."

"Why didn't you see this as a possibility?"

"Because I figured by the time I'd have to worry about it, Old Man Tipton would be out of the picture. It hasn't been easy slowly poisoning him for the past year. Fortunately, he thinks I can do no wrong, so I can penetrate his 'turtle'..."

"But if she outs us before he dies..."

"I know. I think I'm going to have to start upping the doses. When he's gone, his air-headed heiress will take over, and we can easily manipulate her."

"Well, that's all good in theory, but we may not have time for that."

"I know!"

The man muttered. "It would be nice if we could take out both birds with one stone..."

The other man whirled around to look at him. "What did you just say?"

"I just said if we could deal with both of our problems at the same time..."

"That's it! You're a genius!"

_To be Continued..._


	4. Lethal Injection

_Chapter 4_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

The next day, Cody was back in his office when the phone call came in. Not to his secretary, but directly to his personal line at the hospital. It was Wilfred Tipton himself calling to inquire as to when Cody could see him for an examination. Now, Cody is no fool, and he knew one of his major roles as Chief of Medicine was to solicit donors. It definitely wouldn't hurt to get on the good side of one of the wealthiest men in the country if not the world. So, he had no problems rearranging his day to fit with Wilfred Tipton's schedule.

Of course, as Cody was continuing to review even more requests from inside the hospital, he received a phone call.

"Dr. Martin."

_"Hey, Dad. Its me, Charlie."_

Cody smiled. "Charlie! How is life on the ship going?"

_"Its going great so far, Dad. My roommate seems really cool."_

"Yeah, I heard our family has a connection to his. And I hear we met Abby's roommate several years ago."

_Charlie paused. "She's actually the reason I'm calling Dad. I need your advice on something."_

"Shoot."

Charlie filled his Dad in on the favor Marissa had asked him and the background behind it.

"Well, Charlie, I think you'll do fine."

_"There's more to it than that, Dad. You remember the reaction when I met her years ago?"_

Cody laughed. "Yeah, I remember it quite well."

_"Well, those same feelings came rushing back when I saw her again. I don't know what it is, Dad, but she has this affect on me I can't explain."_

"I know that feeling quite well too."

_Charlie sighed. "I know its not the same, but I was hoping you could give some advice about meeting a girl's parents. How did you handle it when you first met Mamaw and Papaw?"_

Cody shook his head and laughed again. "Charlie, the first time I met your Mom's parents, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. I was taking a walk on the deck with your grandfather when we were both chloroformed and locked in a supply closet."

_Charlie was floored. "Are you serious?"_

"But, as much of a disaster as it was, it couldn't have worked out any better. Being locked in the closet with your grandfather actually turned out well. We got the chance to know each other, and I was able to convince him that I really cared about your mother. So, things don't have to go perfect for them to go well."

_"Really?"_

"Really. In fact, with our family's history, I would expect the unexpected. But Charlie, just be yourself."

_"I want to Dad, but I really want to impress Marissa. I've even devised a plan to get her to like me."_

Cody sighed. "And that's my fault. I devised a plan to win your mother..."

_Charlie interrupted. "But it worked, didn't it?"_

"Well, yeah, but that's not the point. Along the way, I did things to try to impress your mother that blew up in my face. I later learned it was just me being me that won her over. So, that's why I told you just to be yourself. Besides, don't waste six months. If you wait too long, you don't know what might happen."

_Charlie paused to consider that. "Thanks, Dad...I promise I'll think about it, but I need to get off to class."_

"Okay, Son. Talk to you soon."

Across town, at the Tipton Animal Shelter, Bailey had caught up with her shelter work. So, with a little time to spare, she pulled back out the proposed budget for the Transportation Division. She kept looking through it again but something was not sitting right with her. The numbers were there, and while they added up, they didn't add up. She leaned back in her chair to rub her eyes when she heard a knock at her office door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Wade Harrison entered her office and smiled at her.

"Dr. Martin. I was hoping for a minute of your time."

Bailey sighed and motioned him to sit down. "What can I do for you, Mr. Harrison?"

"Well, I was hoping to discuss some board matters with you."

"In regards to what?"

"All of this budget hoopla. Kind of a lot to take in, don't you think?"

Bailey shook her head. "No, not really." She smirked. "Then again, I also have a degree in economics from Yale."

Harrison paused. "I see. Maybe you could help me then?"

"I don't think so. You see, Mr. Harrison, there's something about you that rubs me the wrong way. I don't know what it is, but I don't like you. So, no, I'd rather not work with you at all."

"What if Wilfred Tipton told you to?"

Bailey shrugged. "He wouldn't. One, his daughter, London, is one of my best friends and I'm his granddaughter's godmother. Two, he highly respects the work I do around here. Three, he knows I have a standing offer at Tufts Veterinary School to become a professor at any time."

Harrison was getting angry but trying not to show it. "I thought as a board we were supposed to be a team?"

Bailey nodded. "We are. But, for the team to be successful, we all have to be on the same page. And I don't think you are. I can't prove it yet..." She patted the budget in front of her. "...but if there is anything in here, I'll find it."

Harrison stood up. "Well, I don't think we have anything further to discuss then." He looked over and noticed a picture of Bailey and Cody on Bailey's desk. "Nice picture. Is that your husband?"

Bailey just looked at Harrison. "Yes, it is. That's Cody."

Harrison nodded. "Nice looking fellow."

"Yes, he is."

"Well, he's a very lucky guy. I hope all is well at home."

Bailey paused. She didn't like the tone of his voice. "Yes, everything is fine."

"Good. I hope nothing bad happens to either of you." And with that, Harrison got up and left her office.

Bailey just sat there. She didn't like the sound of that one bit. That sounded like a definite threat, and Bailey found her anger building. Without thinking, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

"Yes, this is Dr. Bailey Martin. I need some information on a Wade Harrison, the Director of the Tipton Transportation here in Boston."

Back across town at Massachusetts General, Cody was sitting in his office with Wilfred Tipton. Being the Chief of Medicine, he was able to put a stat order on the test results that he had performed on Mr. Tipton.

"So, Cody, how are you liking being the boss here at Mass General?"

Cody sighed. "Well, I'm hoping it will calm down some after awhile. Right now, everyone is still testing me to see how I will react."

Wilfred nodded. "Yeah, that definitely happens."

Cody smiled. "Fortunately, I've got a great Deputy Chief in Todd."

"Yeah, I guess he's pretty good. I may not particularly like his father, but I can't deny that he makes my daughter happy. And thanks to him, I have my precious Nikki."

"Yes, I've never seen London happier than when she's with him."

Wilfred paused. "You know, Cody, to be an effective leader, you have to know how to delegate. But, you have to know who you can trust and who you can't."

Cody nodded. "I know." He grinned. "Unfortunately, the one person I trust above all others you pay too well for me to lure away..."

Wilfred laughed. "Yes, I do. And worth every penny if I might add."

Cody was about to say something when there was a knock at his office door. A lab technician poked his head inside Cody's office.

"I have those test results, Dr. Martin."

Cody nodded and took them from him. He immediately opened up the results and began looking through them. And the more he read, the more he began to frown. Wilfred picked up on this immediately.

"What do they say?"

Cody shook his head. "This doesn't make a lick of sense. The levels of potassium chloride in your system are off the charts."

"What's potassium chloride?"

Cody paused. "Its the drug they use in lethal injections..."

Wilfred's eyes went wide. "Excuse me?"

Cody shook his head. "Normally, its used in moderation to replenish the body was potassium. But large enough concentrated does can cause the heart to stop..." Cody paused. "And this is a full list of all the medications you are on?"

Wilfred could only nod.

"None of these contain potassium chloride. How in the world are you getting that much of it then? By these numbers, its almost as if someone has been slowly giving you more and more of it over time..."

Wilfred eyes had narrowed. "Are you telling me that someone might be poisoning me?"

Cody exhaled. "Well, I hate to say it, but it might be a possibility. If you want to send the medications you are on over to our lab, I'll have them tested."

Mr. Tipton whipped out his phone and directed one of his bodyguards to head out to the limo to get his meds. And within five minutes, they were brought inside. Cody quickly had them sent to the lab with another stat order.

"Mr. Tipton, I hope I am wrong about this."

"Don't be. If someone has been trying to poison me, I owe you my life then. What is the treatment for this?"

Cody shook his head. "There is none. Eventually, you body will take what it needs and filter everything else out of your system. That's why I suspect someone is constantly giving you more."

Wilfred nodded. And within thirty more minutes, the same lab tech stuck his head in the door.

"I have the results again."

Cody took them again and reviewed them. Once done, he sighed. "I was afraid of this. All of your medications have been laced with it. I need to call the police about this." Cody reached for his phone, but Wilfred placed his hand over Cody's.

"No police. Dr. Martin, can you write me new prescriptions for these and have them filled here at the hospital?"

Cody nodded. "Of course."

"Good, I'll remember how helpful you and your hospital have been. But, don't get the police involved. If someone is trying to kill me, they are going to find out first hand what happens when you tick me off."

Cody swallowed. "They're going to become a goat herder?"

Wilfred laughed. "They'll wish they got off that easy..."

_To be Continued..._


	5. Rats and Bugs

_Chapter 5_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Before leaving the sanctity of Cody's office, Wilfred told Cody that everything they had discussed that afternoon had to stay between them. Cody agreed as it would fall under doctor-patient confidentiality anyways. Wilfred nodded and told him he would be in touch. He would continue getting his other prescriptions filled normally as to not arise any suspicions. But he would need Cody to keep getting him untainted ones that he could actually take. Cody agreed and wanted Wilfred to come back in two weeks so he could check his levels of potassium chloride.

When Cody got home that afternoon, he found Bailey hard at work in their home office looking over her materials again. Cody just walked in and kissed her on the cheek. She broke out of her concentration and smiled up at him.

"Welcome home, Sweetie."

Cody smiled back at her. "Thank you. More work on that budget project?"

Bailey sighed. "Yeah. I just know something screwy is going on here, and I want to find out what it is. I'm more positive than ever."

Cody sat down across from her. "Oh yeah? Did something happen today?"

Bailey nodded and told him about her encounter that day with Wade Harrison. "This guy gives me the creeps. He reminds me a lot of Theo."

Cody cringed. "That's not good."

"You're telling me. I just get a bad vibe from him, and I think he's up to no good. But, I have to find something. I just can't go to Wilfred Tipton and tell him this guy is giving me the creeps."

Cody paused and thought. Could there be a connection with this and what he had learned today? Or was this all just a major coincidence? Of course, Bailey could see the wheels in his head turning.

"Cody?"

He snapped out of his reverie, and turned back to his wife. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

Cody shook his head. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking. Have you called our 'friends' yet?"

Bailey smiled. "First thing I did once he left my office."

"Good." He paused and laughed. "Would have been nice to have had our 'friends' when we were dealing with the original Theo." He rubbed his temple. "Then I might not have this scar..."

Bailey got up, and went around the partner's desk to sit on Cody's lap. And when she did, she framed his face with both of her hands. "I'm glad you do though..."

Cody just looked at her. "You do?"

Bailey smiled and nodded. "Of course. I see that scar everyday, and it just reminds me of lengths you'll go to for me and just how much you love me."

Cody smiled. "Because I do love you that much." He teased her. "Maybe I should get a few more scars to give you further proof."

Bailey leaned in and kissed him. "I already have all the proof I will ever need."

Cody was about to say something when they were interrupted.

"Again? Seriously?"

Both turned their heads and saw their daughter, Annie standing there with her hands on her hips.

"I swear I don't even want to know what you two will do when Ben and I are gone too..."

Cody and Bailey looked at each other and laughed. Then Bailey turned to Annie. "Is there something we can help you with?"

Annie sighed. "Well, I was playing...an educational game, and my computer began acting up. I was hoping one of you could take a look at it."

Cody grinned. "Sweetheart, let me change, and I'll be right down to look at it."

"Thanks, Daddy." Annie turned and headed back downstairs.

Bailey turned to Cody. "Does that mean I have to get up?"

Cody stole one more kiss from her. "Unfortunately, it does. Besides, it will get me out of your hair and you get back to work trying to bust this guy. I'll let you know when dinner is ready."

Bailey smiled. "Thank you. You're the best."

"Well, if you need an extra pair of eyes later, just let me know. I'll help in anyway I can."

Bailey nodded and paused. "Actually, there is something else I should tell you. As Harrison was leaving my office, he was talking very cryptically. He was saying how hoped we were happy and that he hoped nothing bad happened to us."

Cody frowned. "That sounds like a threat."

Bailey nodded. "It did to me too."

"Well, as soon as you get the info back on him, let me know." And to himself, he thought this might be something Wilfred Tipton should know about ASAP. It might not be related, but Cody didn't want to take any chances. "You know, Bails...It might not be a bad idea for you to go see Wilfred Tipton as soon as you can. I think he would want to know about that."

"You think so?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah, I do." He kissed Bailey again. "Alright, I should get moving before Annie comes back to drag me away personally."

Bailey got up reluctantly. "If you must. I think you're right though. I'll give Wilfred Tipton a call right now."

A little while later, Cody had changed, fixed Annie's laptop, and began fixing dinner. Once it was done, he went to get the kids and then he stuck his head into their home office. He was about to say something when he noticed Bailey was on her cell phone.

"That would be fine, Mr. Tipton. We'll be here all night. Stop by whenever you'd like."

Bailey hung up her phone and looked at it funny.

"Everything alright?"

Bailey turned and saw Cody standing there. "I think so. I called and left a message for Mr. Tipton. He just called me back, and when I asked to meet him in his office tomorrow, he said he'd stop by here tonight instead. That's kind of strange don't you think?"

Cody nodded. "Very strange." He smiled. "I thought only doctors made house calls."

Bailey rolled her eyes at him. "You're incorrigible..."

"Maybe, but dinner is ready."

Bailey smiled. "Well, let's eat then."

After dinner, Cody and Bailey were doing the dishes together when the doorbell rang. Cody smiled at her. "Go ahead. I'll finish up here."

"You sure?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah, I'm positive."

Bailey kissed his cheek before drying her hands on a towel. She made her way to the front door, and opened it. Standing before her were four men in dark suits, ear pieces and sunglasses. Bailey just shook her head – the turtle. No matter how many times she saw it, she still thought it was odd.

"Mr. Tipton?"

The four men stepped to the side, and there was Mr. Tipton standing there smiling. "Dr. Martin. Thank you for agreeing to meet me at night."

Bailey smiled. "My pleasure. Please, do come inside."

She lead Wilfred and his entourage into the home office.

"Can I get you...any of you something to drink?"

Wilfred Tipton shook his head. "No thank you. So, Dr. Martin, what is it that you needed to speak to me about?"

Bailey paused. "Well, I'm not sure if its anything, but after discussing it with Cody, we thought you'd want to know..." Remembering everything she could, she went over her meeting with Wade Harrison earlier that day. "I don't know if it was a threat, but it sounded like one to me."

Wilfred sat there in a chair thinking. "I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. You see, its come to my attention that something is amiss. That's why I wanted to speak with you here at your home. This afternoon, I had my office swept for and found bugs..."

"I'm taking it you mean the kind of bugs the listen in and not the ones that crawl around."

Wilfred smiled. "Exactly."

"So, I guess you had them removed."

Wilfred shook his head. "Not at all. If someone wants to listen to what I have to say, I'm going to give them something worth listening too."

Bailey paused. "I see. Any idea who's behind that?"

"Not yet, but thanks to you, I have a lead to pursue."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Wilfred smiled. "Actually, there is." He pointed at the proposed budget on the desk. "Keep going through that. If you find anything, you let me know ASAP." He pulled out a card from his pocket. "This is a number that you can reach me on directly at any time."

Bailey nodded. "Alright, I will."

"Good. Well, I must be getting going. Thank you again for letting me know about this."

And just as soon as he was there, Mr. Tipton and his turtle were gone. Bailey wasn't sure what exactly was going on. Shrugging, she made her way back to the kitchen. And by that time, Cody was just closing the dishwasher and turning it on. When Bailey walked in, Cody looked up.

"Everything okay?"

Bailey nodded. "I think so. But I get the feeling something big is going on. Wilfred said he found out his office was bugged."

Cody frowned. "Someone's listening in on him?"

"Yeah, but he seems to be on top of things."

Cody nodded. Mr. Tipton must have been rather busy once he left his office earlier that day.

Bailey sighed. "I'm so sorry. We've been talking about my day since you got home. Did anything interesting happen to you today? I know things have been kind of hectic with you starting as Chief of Medicine. And I should have had Wilfred speak with you to set up an appointment."

Cody smiled. "Its alright. And someone already called from his office to set up an appointment with me."

"You think things will begin to calm down soon?"

Cody paused. "I sure hope so."

__To be Continued...__


	6. Light Bulb Moment

_Chapter 6_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Friday finally arrived in Boston as well. And with it, Bailey still meticulously going through the proposed budget for Tipton Transportation. She had spent so many hours the past few days going through it with a fine toothed comb. But whatever she was looking for, it was still eluding her. The longer she stared at it, the more everything started to blend together which caused her frustration to grow. Finally, she just closed her eyes, bawled her hands into fists and let out a guttural scream.

"Everything okay?"

Bailey opened her eyes and saw Katie standing there with a concerned look on her face.

"Sorry...I just think I'm about to go cross eyed looking at this budget."

Katie grinned. "Well, in college and vet school, when I was studying something that was driving me insane, I just set it aside and did something to totally get my mind off of it. And once I got distance from me, suddenly it would become clear to me."

Bailey paused. "Actually, that sounds like a good idea."

"Now, I think I have just the thing. I know of a set of triplets that would love to spend some time with their Aunt Bailey."

Bailey laughed. "Nice try. I've been focusing so much on this budget the past week, I'm pretty sure my own kids are beginning to wonder what I look like." She sighed. "This was their last week before school started back, and I definitely didn't get to spend the time with them that I wanted to. Cody actually took them shopping for their back to school clothes the other night."

"That was sweet of him."

"I thought so, but I think Annie was about to kill him. She may have her Daddy wrapped around her little finger, but he's very conservative when it comes to picking out clothes for her. Any skirt had to be past the knee..."

Katie laughed. "Ahhh...So, I have that to look forward to...Funny isn't it that our husbands don't mind when we wear something like that, but if one of our daughters dare to do so, they have a fit..."

Bailey smiled. "Well, I don't have room to talk. I found out there is this girl on the ship that Charlie likes, and I began freaking out. I keep telling myself that I'm ready for it, but I don't know..."

"Well, I don't have to remind you of the effect that ship has on couples...We're all living proof of that."

"I know. But, I didn't meet Cody until my sophomore year, so I think I have another year before I have to worry about anything."

Katie smiled. "Maybe, but I will remind you I met Billy and Zoey met Chas our freshman years on the boat. Now, that was our first year there like your sophomore year was your first year there..."

Bailey frowned. "Gee...thanks."

"That's what I'm here for. So, how are they enjoying the ship?"

"They all seem to be loving it. Of course, Abby told me Moseby saw Charlie and Brady talking the other day and began freaking out."

Katie laughed. "Must be flashbacks. He used to call Zack and Cody the hooligans and Zoey and I the hooliganettes. I wonder how he refers to all of them as a group."

"I don't want to know as long as they are behaving themselves." She laughed. "I don't want Thanksgiving to be awkward."

"True. Well, its Friday afternoon. Why don't you call it a day, head home and spend some time with your family. It'll do you some good."

Bailey thought about that and nodded. "You're right. I work to live, not live to work. And I want to spend some time with Cody, Annie and Ben. I think I will head out of here. You sure you don't mind?"

"Nah. I have everything covered."

Bailey smiled. "I'm out of here then." She checked her watch. "If I hurry, I can be home and have time to make cookies for all of them. A little show of my appreciation for them putting up with me lately."

A couple of hours later, Ben and Annie got home from the neighborhood pool. And once they got out of their Aunt Cassie's minivan, they noticed their Mom's car was parked in front of their house. Looking at each other, they went to see if she was really home. Coming through the front door, they both smelled something delicious and made their way into the kitchen. And that's where they found Bailey pulling a sheet of cookies out of the oven.

"There you two are! I have cookies fresh out of the oven for you."

Ben and Annie looked at each other again in confusion. "You're actually home, Mom?"

Bailey sighed. "I know I haven't been around as much this week as I usually am. And I'm sorry about that. I just have this project at work that's been keeping me busy. But I promise you both that it will be over soon, and I'll be more available to you both. I swear."

Annie shrugged. "Its okay..."

Bailey smiled at her. "To make it up to you, we'll go shopping again for more school clothes without your Dad being there..."

Annie smiled. "You're forgiven then."

Bailey turned to Ben. "And you...I appreciate you helping your Dad keeping everyone fed around here. I appreciate that. I definitely owe you one too."

Ben grinned. "Well, there is that new video game system I've been telling you about..."

Bailey smiled at him. "Tell you what. Put it on your Christmas list, and I'll make sure Santa knows its your highest priority item..."

Ben just looked at her. "Santa also known as Dad?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Mom...I may be eleven, but I'm not stupid. Besides, a couple of years ago, I snuck downstairs one Christmas Eve and saw Dad putting all of our gifts together..."

Bailey paused. "Well...your Dad was just helping him out. Santa's very busy..."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"Anyways, I have cookies! Who wants one?"

Close to six o'clock, the final Martin living at home actually got home. He made his way into the house and saw everyone sitting around the kitchen. He sat down his brief case and smiled at them.

"Hello family of mine. Sorry I'm late."

Bailey smiled back at him. "No worries. Where were you anyways?"

Cody sighed. "At lunch, I noticed someone had clipped the side mirror of the SUV. So, I dropped it off at the dealership to get fixed. Todd dropped me off, and I had to wait for the service department to finish with it. Thankfully, we bought that extended warranty, so it covered it. Otherwise, I'm sure it would have cost a small fortune to fix it. I swear, if I could find a good, honest mechanic..."

Bailey just looked at Cody. For some reason, what he had said had clicked in her mind. And that's when it hit her. Her eyes went wide.

"Cody!"

"What?"

She ran over to him and kissed him. "You're a genius! That's it!"

Cody looked at her in confusion. "What's it?"

But Bailey had already ran off to their home office. Cody turned to Annie and Ben, but they could only shrug at him.

"Ummm...Ben, if you will, begin prepping dinner, and I'll join you soon...I think."

Ben nodded, and Cody made his way to the home library. And the sight he saw surprised him. Bailey was flying around the room grabbing various files and books. If Cody didn't know any better, he could have swore he was looking at Addison on one of her past sugar rushes.

"Bails?"

But Bailey was busy looking at a few books side by side. Cody just stood there and watched her. And when she began laughing hysterically, Cody was worried.

"Bails?"

"Cody! It was right here in front of me the whole time! How did I not put two and two together?"

"You've lost me...What are you talking about?"

Bailey motioned him over and began pointing and previous years budgets. "Right here. Part of the transportation budget is a cool million dollars paid to a commercial mechanic!"

Cody was still confused. "And?"

"Think about it. Tipton Transportation has its own fleet services division which should handle all company repairs. Why the need for a third party mechanic?"

Cody paused and shrugged. "I have no idea..."

"It was right there the whole time. But it didn't register until you started talking about having to take the BMW to the dealership. There is no need for this. Either this million dollars is going nowhere or fleet services isn't being as productive as it should be. It should handle everything!"

Cody nodded. "I can see that...So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to call Wilfred Tipton right now! He gave me a direct number to call him if I found something suspicious. I think this qualifies!"

Cody smiled at her. "Great job, Sweetie."

Bailey smiled back at him. "Thank you. I finally get it now."

"Get what?"

"The rush you got back in London when you figured out what happened to the Queen's book. Its an amazing feeling! I'm sorry I thought you were just full of hot air then."

Cody laughed. "No worries. I'm proud of you, Bails."

"Thank you."

"Tell you what. I'll change, and Ben and I will prepare a celebratory dinner for tonight."

Bailey smiled at him. "Cody, I also want to thank you for how supportive you been with me for the past week. You just accepted this pursuit of mine and didn't complain. You have no idea how much I appreciate that. Hopefully, I'll have a lot more time to spend with you real soon."

Cody smiled back. "Its okay, Sweetie. It comes with the territory when my wife is a genius."

"Sorry this doesn't come with an invitation to meet a queen."

"Not a problem. The only queen I care about is standing here in front of me. Now, you make your phone call, and I'll get back to dinner."

And that's what they did. Bailey made her phone call, and Wilfred Tipton said he would be over to their home shortly. When he hung up, he just smiled to himself.

"If this pans out, it looks like I'm closer to having some real fun. I just hope whoever is behind this enjoyed my little stunt from a couple of days ago..." He began laughing.

Across town, two men were meeting up again. And neither was happy.

"What do you mean we are stuck with over a million dollars of soy bean futures? No, I don't have any interest in selling them for $500,000!"

Wade Harrison slammed down the phone and glared at his partner in crime. "What the hell happened? We heard Old Man Tipton say himself that he was going to try to buy up the futures as there was supposed to be a poor crop this year. But no! This year's crop was a bumper one. We just lost a ton of money!"

The other man shrugged. "That's what he said..." He paused. "You don't think he set us up, do you?"

Harrison shook his head. "I doubt it. Its been a couple of years and he hasn't caught on yet. Our bigger worry is that damn veterinarian. If she finds what we've hidden away, we could be in big trouble..."

"How? Its a phantom corporation. There's no way to connect it to us."

Harrison sighed. "You're right...But just to be safe, do we have Plan B ready to go?"

"Yeah. All we have to do is give the word. Its guaranteed to shut up the vet if she knows what's good for her..."

To be Continued...


	7. Problem Solved?

_Chapter 7_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Bailey continued to fly around the home office getting everything ready for Wilfred Tipton's arrival. She had labeled and bookmarked everything she thought was relevant and important in all of the documentation she had. And while she was doing that, Ben and Cody were hard at work getting dinner prepared. Everyone stopped what they were doing when the doorbell rang. Bailey made her way to open the door, and once again, she found the turtle standing there.

"Come on in, Mr. Tipton."

The turtle parted, and Mr. Tipton made his way inside. Bailey showed him back into the home office and closed the door. Immediately, she began to detail everything that she had discovered.

"It was there staring at me, but it didn't click in my mind until Cody said he had to take his SUV in for service this afternoon. Then, it dawned on me. Maybe I'm just not familiar with how Transportation works, but it seems like overkill to have fleet services and an outside mechanic."

Wilfred nodded slowly. "I admit, that strikes me as odd as well. Fleet services should be handling everything. I mean, I pay them well enough to do so. Any idea who this outside firm is?"

Bailey shook her head. "I have no idea. I've never heard of them, but then again, I wouldn't have any reason to."

"True. Unfortunately, without knowing who exactly I can and can't trust, I can't just make a phone call to fleet services. I can get some of my...outside...resources on it, but it may take a while to come up with something."

"So, should I just sit on this for a while?"

"I think so. Just act like you are still working on it though. I'm betting by now that someone is keeping an eye on you as well. If you stop working on it, whoever it is may begin to panic. While it could bring them out in the open, it could cause them to do something stupid."

Meanwhile, Cody and Ben were continuing to work on dinner. Ben was preparing a sauce while Cody was busy putting the noodles onto the burner. However, the doorbell rang again.

"Keep an eye on things, and I'll see who it is."

Ben nodded, and Cody went to answer the door. When he opened it though, no one was there. He frowned and looked around, but he saw nothing. About to close the door, he happened to look down and found a wrapped manilla envelope on the ground. Cody just shook his head and laughed. He should be used to their methods by then. Picking up the envelope, he closed the door and knocked on the door to the home office. Once he heard Bailey say to come in, he stuck his head inside.

"Bails...There's a package for you..."

Bailey shrugged. "Just put it in the kitchen, and I'll get it later."

Cody smiled. "Its the package you ordered the other day...You know, the special delivery?"

Bailey just looked at Cody in confusion before it dawned on her what he was talking about. "Oh! That package. Bring it here."

Cody came in and handed it to Bailey.

"I'm taking it that's the information you got from your Skulls contacts?"

Both Cody and Bailey whipped their heads around to see a grinning Wilfred Tipton.

"Oh please. I know you two are Bonesmen. I've known for years. Remember, I told you both when you graduated high school that I can contacts at Yale..."

Cody and Bailey continued to look at him in surprise. "Well...ummm..."

Wilfred laughed. "And I know you can't talk about it, so I won't ask. Though, even I would love to have some of the contacts and resources you do. How about we just see what you have?"

Cody turned to Bailey. "I'll just get back to dinner..." He turned to Wilfred Tipton. "You're more than welcome to join us if you would like."

Mr. Tipton shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but no thank you. I already have dinner plans this evening with a beautiful young lady."

Bailey frowned. "I thought your current marriage was actually going pretty well..."

"Oh, it is...I'm having dinner with Nikki tonight and giving London and Todd a night to themselves."

Cody nodded. "Well, I'll let you two get back to your meeting."

Wilfred spoke up again. "Oh yeah...Doc...Next Friday...10 AM."

Cody nodded again. "I'll make sure my schedule is cleared."

Bailey looked at Cody with a curious look, but she knew she could follow up later. Cody exited the home office and returned back to the kitchen. On the other hand, Bailey ripped open the envelope and pulled out all of the information inside of it. She split it up and handed half of it to Wilfred Tipton. Both began going through the documents in their hands. Eventually, Wilfred found something that caught his eye.

"What was the name of that third party mechanic again?"

Bailey checked the budgets. "Big A Commercial Mechanics."

Wilfred began laughing. "Gotcha!"

Bailey looked up. "What?"

"Well, it looks like Mr. Wade Harrison went through a lot of trouble to hide his tracks, but your contacts were even better. I have information in my hand that says he his the co-owner of Big A...along with another member of my board of directors. Thanks to this, my men can get right to work finding out everything they can about Big A. My guess is that its just a front." He paused. "My own people have been stealing from me. This will not stand."

Bailey paused. "Are they soon to be goat herders?"

Wilfred laughed. "I see everyone has heard about that. But no, goat herding would be too good for them. But, you don't want to know what I have planned. Maybe I'll have them say hello to my brother Teddy for me..."

Not sure if she wanted to know, Bailey asked anyways. "What did he do?"

"You really don't want to know..."

Bailey shook her head and mumbled to herself. "What is it with people named Teddy anyways?" She looked back at Mr. Tipton. "What do you want me to do now?"

Wilfred paused to think. "Change of plans. I'm going to call an emergency board meeting for next Friday afternoon. At that moment, we'll have some fun. Well, all of us except two."

"You think that will tip them off?"

"Nah. I'll let it slip to the bugs that its about something else. We'll blindside them, and my men will be there to help the gentlemen...clean out their offices. Until then, just act normal."

Bailey nodded. "Will do. I'll just keep up appearances."

Wilfred stopped. "Just to be on the safe side, I'm going to have my men provide security for you and your family. I don't want to take chances. Trust me though, you won't even know that they are there."

"Alright."

"See you next Friday then. Until the, spend some time with your family."

Bailey smiled. "Sounds good to me."

Wilfred left, and Bailey made her way back to the kitchen. And her timing was just right as dinner was ready to be served. What followed was a typical Martin family dinner where everyone just sat around and talked about their days. Bailey spoke up over dessert.

"This is your last weekend before school starts. Lets do something fun to send summer out with a bang."

Ben looked up. "Like what?"

Bailey paused. "Well, we could go to the beach house for the weekend...or we could all go to Six Flags New England for the weekend..."

Ben and Annie looked at each other and smiled. "Six Flags!"

Bailey turned to Cody. "What do you think?"

Cody paused. "Well...if we're going to be at the park when it opens, we should probably leave tonight..." He smiled at them. "That's if you want to be there when it opens."

Both kids grinned. "Oh yeah..."

"Well, you guys should go pack a small bag then. And don't forget your swimsuits. Your Mom and I need to find us a hotel to stay at."

The kids both got up and ran up the stairs. Bailey smiled at Cody.

"Thank you."

"Well, it does sound like fun. And it will be good to see you relax some. Now, I am thinking a two bedroom suite so I can have some time alone with you once they're worn out."

"Sounds perfect."

Cody smiled. "It'll be like being back at Disney World again...Maybe I should ask for the honeymoon suite?"

Bailey laughed. "Maybe so..." Bailey paused. "Cody, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Are you Wilfred Tipton's doctor now?"

Cody smiled. "Bails, you know I can't tell you that. Patient-Doctor confidentiality."

"I know, but the way he called you Doc makes me think you are."

Cody shrugged. "Maybe he thinks I look like the scientist from Back to the Future? Speaking of which, I wouldn't mind having a DeLoreon. I was never big into cars, but I always wanted one of those..."

"Cody..."

"Yes, Sweetheart?"

Bailey shook her head. "Nice try in changing the subject. But I do know you can't tell me anything."

"Thank you."

Bailey smiled. "And no, you can't have a DeLoreon. Those things aren't very safe. Knowing you, you'd try to get it up to 88 miles per hour, and who knows what would happen then."

Cody laughed. "Oh, alright..."

"But I do think this weekend away is just what we need. It'll be good for all of us."

"I agree." He grinned. "I can't wait to feel you holding on to me tightly on another roller coaster. I loved when you did that. I think I still have the imprints from when you held on to me for dear life on Space Mountain..."

Bailey laughed. "I remember. It'll just be nice to have things calming down a little. Once this thing with work is over, our lives can finally go back to normal."

__To be Continued...__


	8. Thrills and Chills

_Chapter 8_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

The weekend away was just what everyone needed. And like Cody said, they were there when the gates opened on Saturday morning. And all day Saturday was spent with one of the kids dragging them to one ride or another. Of course, Bailey handled the roller coasters better than her first time at Disney World. But, by the end of the day, Cody did have a few imprints on his arm where she had gripped it so tightly. All in all though, it was a fun day for everyone. So much so that Ben and Annie both fell asleep on the drive back to the hotel. And for the first time in years, Cody and Bailey had to carry their kids inside and to the room.

By the time they had gotten the kids settled in bed and into their own bedroom, Cody and Bailey were exhausted as well.

"That was a lot easier when they were five years old..."

Bailey gave a tired laugh. "Tell me about it. They are both a lot heavier now..."

"I know. I haven't carried that much dead weight since someone's 21st birthday..."

Bailey turned and gave him a look. "Hey!"

Cody laughed. "How would you know? You were seven sheets to the wind..."

"Just like you were month prior to that. You don't remember your 21st, so why should I remember mine?"

Cody pulled her in closer to him. "Well, I remember it perfectly. It was only a few short months later that you were my bride. Now, that was a day I'll never forget."

Bailey smiled. "Me either. Almost twenty years, and I remember every minute of that day..."

"Me too. I still have that special pair of boxers you bought me for it saved away someplace safe. I'd still wear them, but they are a tad bit snug now..."

Bailey just shook her head. "Well, I would still have what I wore that night too, but I think it eventually got torn..."

Cody laughed. "After the way you looked in it, can you blame me? I admit, I got a little excited. But you have always had the effect on me...you always will."

"I know..." She paused and gave him a seductive look. "You know, its too bad the kids are asleep in the next room..."

Cody swallowed. "Yeah, it is...Of course, we could do what we did that one Thanksgiving when Grandma was staying with us..."

Bailey grinned. "I remember that. I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed when she called us out on it the next morning..."

Cody smiled. "That was bad, but it just barely makes my top five..."

"What would you put ahead of it?"

"Well, number one would be when Dad ambushed me in Kettlecorn for that talk we had..."

Bailey groaned. "I remember that now. I think I've tried to block the one I had with my Mom from my memory."

"And then there was when my Mom found out about us in Sydney. I felt like crawling under the table, but fortunately, I had you there to stick up for me."

"Ahhh...yes. I get the feeling I'm going to get payback for that someday..."

Cody grinned. "Probably, but the one I'll get payback for is the conversation I had with your Dad while were locked up together after just meeting him for the first time."

"Do you ever just look back on the things that happened to us in the very beginning and laugh about how absurd some of those things were?"

"Yeah, I do...But I wouldn't change a thing."

Bailey smiled. "Not even scrapping your stupid six month plan?"

Cody shook his head. "Actually, I wouldn't. It gave us a chance to be friends and really get to know each other. I cherish those memories. Well, except for the wedgie..."

Bailey laughed. "Well, to be fair, at the time, I thought you deserved."

Cody teased her. "Well, I'm glad now when you yank on my boxers, its to pull them down..."

Bailey teased him right back. "I think it was you yanking on my negligee that caused it to tear..."

"I took you to Victoria's Secret when we got back from Vermont and told you to buy what ever you wanted..."

"I know...and I don't seem to remember you complaining about what I chose..."

"And I never will..." He paused and grinned. "Maybe its time for us to go shopping again?"

"You think so?"

"Oh yeah..." He leaned over and kissed her. "But I'll still be as useless as I was then. You'll still look sexy in anything..."

Bailey smiled at him. "Thank you, Codykins..."

He grinned. "How about we take that shower I mentioned earlier?"

Bailey paused. "As much as I'd love to, I think we're both worn out from today plus we're going to have another long day tomorrow at the water park. Can I have a rain check?"

Cody nodded. "Of course, Sweetheart. Tell you what, how about Friday night, we take a night to ourselves. I'll see if Mom and Arwin will watch the kids, and I'll take you out and wine and dine and romance you."

Bailey smiled again. "Consider it a date. I love you, Cody. And I wholeheartedly agree with you. I wouldn't trade the life we've had for anything in the world."

"I love you too, Bailey."

And with that, they settled in to sleep for the night. The next morning, they were up again early to be the first ones at the water park. After another long day of being dragged around by their kids to try everything, they all loaded up to head home at 6:00 PM. They stopped for dinner on the way home, but they were back home in time for the kids to be in bed for the first day of school the next day.

And the next morning, Ben and Annie headed off to school with their Aunt Cassie. Cody and Bailey both went to work to begin their weeks. Bailey continued to play along that she was still researching the transportation budget to keep up appearances. And on Monday afternoon, she got the phone call letting her know about the board meeting on Friday afternoon. She wasn't the only one who got that call though.

"What do you think this meeting is about?"

Wade Harrison shook his head. "No clue. Have you checked our listening devices to see if they've picked up anything?"

"I did, but all I heard was that the old man was talking about a brand new opportunity for the company. No idea what it is though..."

"Well, it would be nice if he decided to go into the soy bean business. Maybe we could finally unload all of those..."

"You know, Wade...I'm getting a bad feeling about something. Something doesn't feel right..."

Harrison frowned. "Like what?"

"Well, the vet and her family disappeared all weekend. And we have no idea where she went exactly. All we know is she used a credit card at a hotel near Springfield..."

Harrison's eyes went wide. "Springfield? Why didn't you tell me this sooner! Transportation has a large field office there...I bet she went to check on a few things firsthand!"

"What should we do then?"

Harrison paused. "I want to know where Dr. Doolittle and the old man are at all times. If something suspicious is going on, I want to know immediately."

"And if something suspicious is going on?"

Harrison glared at him. "Then we use Plan B to shut her up! Make her think twice about opening up her big mouth..."

Thursday night finally arrived, and everyone was finally home for the day. Ben and Annie were doing their homework while Cody and Bailey were cooking dinner together.

"So, what do you have planned for tomorrow night?"

Cody just smiled. "Really? Twenty five years and you still ask me what my surprises for you are?"

Bailey smiled back. "Well, I figured in your old age, you might have forgotten..."

"I see how it is...Do I need to remind you that I'm only a month older than you?"

"Nope, but a month is a long time..."

Cody just grinned at her. "Have I ever let you down with one of my surprises yet?"

Bailey grinned back. "Never..."

"Then trust me..."

"I do. More than anything."

"Then know this...Tomorrow will be a day that neither of us will ever forget..."

__To be Continued...__


	9. The Boston Massacre

_Chapter 9_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Friday finally arrived in Boston as well. Cody and Bailey were both looking forward to their date night that night, but both had to get through their work days first. And both had pressing matters on their schedules. For Bailey, it was the board meeting that she hoped would put an end to all of the hard work she had been doing and the mess going on at Tipton Industries. And if she was lucky, it would also be the last time she would ever have to deal with Wade Harrison. For Cody, it was his morning appointment with Wilfred Tipton. He was hoping that he had discovered the poisoning in time to prevent any permanent damage.

That morning, Cody was doing some paperwork in his office when there was a knock at his door. Looking up, he saw Todd St. Mark and smiled.

"Hey..."

Todd smiled back. "I've got some good news for you. The honeymoon suite at the St. Mark hotel has been reserved in your name for this evening."

Cody sighed in relief. "Thank you. One less thing I have to follow up on today..."

Todd laughed. "No Problem. Why didn't you just use the Tipton though?"

Cody grinned. "Because there are people there who might spill the secret to Bailey. I want tonight to be a complete surprise for her. I want her to remember this night for a long, long time..."

"I try to do the same for London, but she always finds out what I have planned."

"Well, next time you want to surprise her, just let me know. I can book everything in my name, and she will be none the wiser..."

"I may take you up on that..." Todd paused. "By the way, I noticed my father-in-law has an appointment with you in a little while..."

Cody shook his head. "And you also know I can't discuss anything about it..."

Todd held up his hands. "You don't have to tell me, but you know my wife..."

Cody laughed. "Since I was 12..."

"Just saying if she wants to know, I'm not getting in her way..."

"Duly noted. Well, I should finish up a few more details before Wilfred get here. I definitely don't want to keep him waiting."

"Good idea."

At 9:55, Cody was sitting at his desk doing yet more paperwork when his office door opened and Wilfred Tipton marched inside. Cody looked up and smiled.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Tipton. You ready to get started?"

Wilfred nodded. "You're darn right I am! I've been waiting for this day all week."

Twenty minutes later, they were back in Cody's office sitting there talking while waiting for the lab to return its results.

"I understand you took Bailey and the kids to an amusement park this weekend. Good. Of everyone that works for me, Bailey is one of the ones I trust the most. I've never had to worry about her work a single day. And she brings such a common sense approach to board matters. I don't want to see her get burned out."

Cody smiled. "I don't either. But Bailey doesn't know how to do anything halfway. She gives everything 110%. And she has a huge heart. I mean, she's put up with me for over 25 years..."

"Oh please. From what I hear, her desk at the shelters are a mini shrine to you and the kids. I'd feel sorry for anyone who dared mess with any of you. And we both know she has the resources at her disposal to bring the pain..."

"Definitely..."

At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and the lab tech stuck her head in the door. Cody motioned her in and took the file from her. Opening it up, he began reviewing the results. And once he was done, he began grinning.

"Congratulations, Mr. Tipton. The level of potassium chloride in your blood is now down to a normal level. Until you give me further notice, you can continue to get your prescriptions filled through my office."

Wilfred grinned. "Excellent. And I appreciate the offer, but I'm hoping after today, further testing of my medications will not be necessary."

"I wish you luck then."

Across town, Wade Harrison was in his office when his door busted open and someone marched in and closed it behind him.

"We may have a problem!"

Harrison looked up. "What?"

"Do you know where the old man was this morning?"

"Where?"

"Over at Mass General. And do you know who he was meeting with?"

"Who?"

"Mr. Dr. Doolittle...the chief of medicine."

Harrison frowned. "I don't like the sound of that one bit."

"It gets worse. I found out they also met early last week as well. And Dr. Martin ran tests then. From everything I hear, he's one of the best doctors in New England."

Harrison sat there and thought. "Which means he could have discovered the poisoning..."

"Exactly! And if he did, the old man is probably aware that something is going on..."

"Especially if he found out last week..."

The other man paused. "You think he might have found the bugs in his office?"

"I guess its possible..."

"You think the soy bean futures...?"

Harrison stopped to consider that idea. He began shaking his head and anger. "The old man set us up!"

"How does he know its us though? Nothing is traceable back to us."

"He might not know exactly that is us, but he knows someone is out to get him!"

The other man started getting nervous. "I don't like this one single bit. With both the Martins and now this...I say we scrap everything while we're still ahead."

Harrison shook his head. "No way. I always go after what I want, and I get it. What kind of example would I be to my nephew if I just gave up? No, I won't do that..."

"What do you suggest then? Where do we go from here?"

Harrison paused. "I think we both know what we have to do..."

The other man just looked at him. "Are you saying we should actually do Plan B? I thought that was just talk..."

"Yes. Call it in and have it done. We have to do damage control and shut up the vet..."

Across town, Bailey was in her office gathering all of her materials for the upcoming board meeting. And as she did that, Katie stuck her head in the door.

"Should I expect you back after the meeting, or are you calling it a weekend once its done?"

Bailey looked up. "I was planning on coming back here..."

Katie smiled. "I was thinking you could go shopping once you left and find yourself a new dress that will make Cody's eyes pop out and his tongue to hit the ground. And then a little something to wear later that will knock him dead..."

Bailey laughed. "You think I should?"

"Sure, why not? He's been a good boy, right?"

"Of course..." Bailey paused and smiled. "You know, I think I will do that. The other night, he wanted to get a little romantic and I told him we had a long day the next day. He completely understood though. These past few weeks, I know I've been a little frazzled with work, but he's been nothing but the best. I told him I wanted a rain check, maybe this is my way of showing him how much I appreciate him and everything he does."

Katie laughed. "Get on out of here then..."

About an hour later, Bailey was pulling all of her materials into the Tipton boardroom and began setting up all of her things for the meeting. In preparation, she turned off the ringer on her phone. And to her surprise, Wilfred Tipton walked into the board room followed by several of his guards and closed the door.

"You ready for this, Dr. Martin?"

Bailey smiled. "Yes, Sir. I'm ready to see those two crooks get what they deserve."

"Good. I'm going to have my guards in here in case they try to cause problems. I don't want them trying to do something stupid."

"You think one of them would try to bring a gun in here?"

Wilfred grinned. "Nope. All the entrances to this floor have detectors built into the doors...even the elevators. If they tried, an alarm would have gone off immediately. My hope is we catch them completely off guard."

Out in the hallway, Harrison and his partner in crime were looking through the window into the conference room, and both saw Wilfred and Bailey talking.

"What do you think they are talking about?"

"No idea, but whatever the good doctor is saying, hopefully she'll be shut up soon." Harrison turned to his accomplice. "Has it been taken care of?"

The man sighed. "I made the phone call. It should be happening any time now..."

Harrison grinned. "Excellent."

Across town, Cody was still in his office trying to finish up yet more paperwork when there was a knock at his door. Cody looked up and saw Todd again.

"How about we get out of here and grab some lunch?"

Cody paused and nodded. "Good idea. I think I could use a change of scenery..."

Todd grinned. "Good...And you're buying."

Cody laughed. "Yeah, I'm buying lunch for the heir to one hotel chain who is married to the heiress of another one. That sounds about right. But if I'm buying, I pick the place."

Todd laughed too. "Just don't expect me to put out...Not on the first date anyways..."

Cody shook his head and laughed. "Lets get out of here. And I choose that little hole in the wall place down the street."

"If we're going there, I'm definitely not putting out. I want caviar and truffles..."

"You've been married to London way too long."

Todd laughed. "Probably."

Both made their way to the closest exit to them and had just began walking away from the hospital when they heard what sounded like a car backfiring.

Todd shook his head. "Someone needs to get a tune up..." He kept walking and happened to glance next to him. But Cody wasn't there. Todd stopped and turned around intending to tell Cody to keep up. But instead, he saw Cody sprawled on the sidewalk. That's when Todd noticed Cody's white dress shirt was quickly turning red. And that's when it hit him...it was blood.

__To be Continued...__

**AN: Don't kill me yet. Hang on for the ride to follow. On another note, I think the SL curse struck again last night. What three teams were in contention for the #1 pick? Cleveland, Minnesota, and Utah. Minnesota being the team of Kevin Love, and Utah the former team of Deron Williams. Both team's jerseys were worn on the show. The other team whose jersey wasn't shown - Cleveland. And who got the #1 pick? Cleveland. Hmmm...**__  
><em>_


	10. The Wounded

_Chapter 10_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Todd just stood there in shock taking in the scene in front of him. And without thinking, he ran back and knelt down next to his friend. While he was only an oral surgeon, he had enough emergency medical training to do know to check for a pulse. Finding a weak one, he immediately ripped open Cody's shirt, and he saw it. There was a bullet wound in the middle of Cody's chest. He reached into his pocket to pull out a handkerchief and began adding pressure to the wound in hopes of stopping the bleeding. Looking around, he saw a nurse walking towards the door back into the hospital.

"Go inside and get someone out here with a stretcher! Dr. Martin has been shot!"

The nurse's mouth fell open in shock, and she froze.

"Now!"

The nurse quickly ran inside while Todd did the best he could to clean the wound while keeping pressure. Looking up, he was cursing wondering where in the hell the help was. And after what seemed like an eternity, a stretcher being pushed by two emergency room doctors came flying out of the entrance and right at them. And once they got there, one of the doctors knelt down and spoke.

"What happened?"

Todd was still distracted applying pressure. "Someone shot him!"

The doctor nodded. "Well, we need to get him to the ER STAT. Keeping applying pressure while we get him on the gurney!"

The other two doctors helped get Cody's unconscious body onto the stretcher. And once they did, everyone headed back towards the entrance. From there, they began an all out sprint to get Cody to the emergency room as quickly as they could. Fortunately, it wasn't too far away, and there were was a doctor and nurse already in scrubs and gloves ready to take over for them. Todd stood there at the door just watching the ER team begin to go to work on Cody. He just shook his head trying to take in everything that had just happened in the last five minutes and worrying about his friend. Todd paused and swallowed. There was something else he had to do. There was a phone call he had to make.

Unfortunately, Bailey wasn't answering her cell phone. And her work number went right to voice mail. And that's when he remembered Cody mentioning she had a board meeting that afternoon. So, he scrolled down to a number had never had to use before – Wilfred Tipton's direct emergency number.

Across town, Bailey and Wilfred were still talking when Wilfred felt something in his pocket vibrating. He pulled out his normal cell phone, but it wasn't the one vibrating. Pausing, he pulled out his emergency phone.

"Wilfred Tipton..."

"Yes, she's right here. What's going on Todd? This line is for emergencies only..."

Bailey noticed Wilfred Tipton's face immediately go pale as he just listened.

"Todd! Tell me everything that just happened!"

Bailey watched Wilfred grow even paler, and his eyes grow wide.

"Call London and tell her to get there ASAP. I'll tell Bailey what happened."

Bailey frowned as Wilfred hung up his phone call. "Tell me what? Is everything okay?"

Wilfred paused. "Bailey, I think you should sit down. Something has happened..."

Bailey was confused. "What? Did something happen to Nikki?"

Wilfred shook his head. "No, but I think you really should sit down before I tell you."

Bailey still didn't know what was going on, but she was getting a bad feeling. Slowly, she sat down into one of the chairs.

Wilfred continued. "That was Todd. He and Cody were leaving the hospital to go get lunch when he heard what he thought was a car backfiring. He turned to say something to Cody when..." He paused. "...when he saw Cody sprawled on the sidewalk unconscious. Todd immediately checked on him, and that's when he saw it. Bailey, Cody's been shot..."

Bailey just sat there. She shook her head. Surely she had heard Wilfred Tipton wrong. Cody hadn't been shot. Not her Cody.

"Mr. Tipton, there must be some mistake..."

Wilfred shook his head. "I wish there was, but there is no mistake. Todd said Cody is in the emergency room right now..."

And that's when it hit Bailey. She felt her entire body going numb as she let it sink in. Cody had really been shot. Her heart started beating faster and faster. Her stomach was churning, and she began to feel nauseous. And then the tears came.

"No...no...no...This can't be happening! I just saw him this morning! We're supposed to be going out on a romantic date night tonight!"

Wilfred gave her a sympathetic look. "I know."

Bailey began panicking. She had to go to Cody right then and there. "I have to get to the hospital!" She tried to stand up, but her legs didn't have the strength to support her.

Wilfred turned to one of his guards and barked an order "I want you to get Dr. Martin over to Mass General five minutes ago."

The guard nodded, and helped Bailey stand up and supported her. Bailey just felt completely helpless and lost. "I...I..."

"Just go be with your husband. He needs you right now. Don't worry about anything else. I told Todd to have London there to be there with you. I'll have her call the rest of your family and friends."

But Bailey didn't hear a word he had said. All she could think about was Cody. In fact, the next thing she could remember was looking up and seeing London holding her hands and sitting there next to her.

"London?"

London smiled at her. "You're back. You've been completely out of it since you were brought in here. I was starting to get pretty worried about you."

Bailey shook her head defiantly. "I don't care about me right now! How is Cody doing?"

London paused. "I don't know...Todd's given me a few updates, but as far as I know, Cody is still on the emergency room table..."

Bailey tried to stand up. "I've got to go to him! He needs me!"

London held her down. "The best doctors in the hospital are working on him..."

Bailey shook her head again, and more tears came. "No, the best doctor in the hospital is laying in the emergency room and there is nothing I can do to help!"

"You are helping him. You're here. He's now surrounded by your love for him. That's what he needs right now, and you're giving it to him..."

"London, who would do something like this? Cody's never done anything to anyone!"

London shook her head. "I don't know. But right now, lets put that on the back burner for later. Right now, we need to call Carey, Kurt and Zack. Do you want to do that or would you prefer I do that?"

Bailey just sat there. "I...What would I tell them?"

London smiled. "Then you sit right here, and I'll call them. I need you to stay strong though. Cody needs you to be strong for him."

Bailey just sat there crying. "I would do anything to see him smiling at me right now..."

"He will be soon."

Across town, Zack Martin was standing along the side lines at the BC practice field watching the team's football practice. The team's opener was still a week away, and Zack had to admit they were looking pretty good. And with how weak the ACC was in football, the Eagles had a chance of winning the conference. But he was snapped out of his thoughts by his cell phone ringing. Looking down, he smiled when he saw who it was.

"London, to what do I deserve this honor?"

But then's Zack's face paled too as he listened to what London had to say.

"How is he doing?"

Zack listened again to what London said and felt himself begin to shake.

"I'm on my way! I'll call Cassie and have her bring Ben and Annie with her..."

At Emerson-Hawthorne, Cassie Martin had just finished her last class for the day. She was putting away that day's sheet music when her cell phone began to ring as well. She picked it up and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Hey, Honey...What are you doing?"

Cassie stood there, and her face went pale as well as Zack relayed to her everything that London told him.

"Oh my God...How is Bailey handling this?"

Cassie listened again feeling her heart breaking.

"I'll get Ben and Annie and be there as soon as I can..."

At the Boston Tipton, Carey Martin was just finishing up her afternoon rehearsal and was about to leave the cabaret when her phone began ringing. Seeing who it was, Carey paused. What was London doing calling her?

"London...What's up?"

Carey too just listened to what London told her.

"Oh my God! Is he okay?"

Carey listen further and felt herself beginning to get nauseous. Her tears were flowing now too.

"I'm on my way!"

Backstage at a venue in Providence, Rhode Island, Kurt Martin was taking a break after his microphone check. He was looking forward to being able to head up to Boston in a few days to see his sons, his daughters-in-law and his grandchildren. Sitting back, he was sipping on a bottle of water when his phone began vibrating.

"Kurt Martin here..." He paused. "London Tipton? What can I do for you?"

He paused as too listened to what she had to tell him.

But Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Cody's been shot?"

He kept listening, but he began panicking.

"I'm in Providence. I'm leaving right now. I should be there in a little over an hour..."

Back inside the board room of Tipton Industries, Wade Harrison and his partner in crime were sitting around waiting for the meeting to start. No one else had shown up, and they were both beginning to think that Plan B had been successful. Especially after Bailey Martin had to practically be carried out of there. She would be in no condition to talk about anything for a while. Finally, Wilfred Tipton walked in with his guards and locked the door behind him.

"Where is everyone, Mr. Tipton?"

Wilfred just glared at them both. "I told everyone else the meeting was canceled. And I can almost guarantee you both know why Dr. Martin had to leave. But not to worry though, the three of us have quite a bit to discuss amongst ourselves. And to make sure you both do talk, my associates here will...assist you if you forget how. Now...I can guarantee you both that your lives as you know them are now over. How bad your remaining lives will be will depend on your cooperation. So...shall we do this the easy way..." He smirked at them. "...or the fun way?"

In the Mass General Emergency room, the doctors were continuing to work on Cody, but they were encountering another problem.

"I can't find the source! And if we don't stop this internal bleeding soon..."

"We have to keep trying! I need more suction over here..."

And that's when they both heard a sound that neither wanted to hear. Both looked up and at the EKG machine. Cody was flat lining.

__To be Continued...__


	11. The Dearly Departed

_Chapter 11_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

At that moment, all across the Boston area, several people began their treks to Massachusetts General Hospital. Cassie was going to be the last to arrive as she had to gather Ben and Annie and break the news to them. And to add to her efforts, she was bringing Malik, Nikki and Denise to the hospital as well. Their parents were on the way to the hospital as well and would pick them up there. Zack was off immediately after he got the phone call, but he was coming from Chestnut Hill. Fortunately, he would avoid rush hour traffic, so it wouldn't take him that long. So, the first ones to arrive were Carey and Arwin. And once they entered the emergency room waiting room, they found London sitting with Bailey. Immediately, they could tell Bailey was not doing well at all.

"London!"

London looked up and saw Carey and Arwin. "Hey! Nothing new yet. As far as I know, Cody is still in the emergency room..."

Carey nodded and turned to face her daughter-in-law, trying to keep her own emotions in check. "How's Bailey handling this?"

London sighed. "Not good. Its like she's in a trance. Every so often, she'll snap out of it and say something. But then just as quickly, she'll slip right back into it..."

"I don't blame her. Is everyone else on their way?"

"Yeah. Kurt was in Providence, and he said he'd be here in about an hour."

At that moment, Zack came running into the waiting room as well.

"How's Cody?"

London gave him a sad smile. "No recent updates, so the same as when I talked to you..."

Zack's shoulders slumped, and Arwin put his arm around Zack's shoulder to comfort him. Carey turned back to London. "Has someone called Joe and Maggie yet?"

"I would have, but I don't have their number..."

Arwin spoke up. "I'll do it. You all stay here, wait for word and take care of Bailey."

In the operating room, Cody continued to flat line. The doctors immediately went to work trying to revive him.

"We need a crash cart now!"

One was quickly rolled in, and one of the doctors began charging the paddles. And once there was a sufficient charged he placed the paddles on Cody's chest.

"Clear!"

A jolt of electricity surged through Cody, and his body spasmed. But the EKG still showed no signs of a heartbeat. "Give me another charge!"

And once the defibrillator was ready again, the doctor applied another charge to Cody's chest. But this time, the EKG showed signs of a heartbeat again. The doctors sighed with relief, but they knew they were far from being done.

"We have to find a way to stop the bleeding, or that's going to happen again. And next time, we might not be able to bring him back..."

They returned back to the task at hand and began searching again for the source of the internal bleeding. And thankfully, they soon found it. Once it was temporarily clamped, it was time to move again.

"Alright, we need to get Dr. Martin up to the operating room STAT!"

And with that, they began to rush Cody's gurney out of the ER and towards the elevator.

Across town, Wilfred Tipton continued glaring at the two men sitting at the conference table with him. But instead of giving them a look of pure hatred, he now had an evil grin on his face.

"Cat got your tongue, gentlemen? I must say, I'm kind of surprised. Mr. Harrison, one of the up and coming wonder boys of Tipton Industries, and Mr. Arthur, one of my most steady supervisors? I admit, I didn't see this coming..."

Arthur spoke up. "Mr. Tipton, I..."

Tipton glared at him. "I just have to ask...Was the attempt on Dr. Martin's life because of what happened to your brother Chet or because Cody found out you two had been poisoning me?"

Harrison glared back at Wilfred. "I don't appreciate you accusing us of something we had no part in. I would assume you have evidence if you are going to slander our names like that."

Wilfred looked at him and began laughing. "Oh, I have plenty of evidence. I have proof that you both are the owners of Big A. And I have proof of you two stealing company funds through improper payments to said phantom corporation. Now, since I feel the need to get over to Mass General myself, I'm going to make this little meeting as brief as possible. I don't have direct evidence that you two poisoned me or set up the hit on Dr. Martin. But right now, I don't really care because I know in my gut that it was you two. So, here is what I'm going to do. The first one of you willing to admit to your role in those, I will hand over to the Boston PD. The other one, well..." He just kept laughing.

Harrison rolled his eyes, but Arthur began freaking out. He had heard stories and rumors of what had happened to people who had crossed Wilfred Tipton in the past. There was even the tale of horrible things he had done to his own brother. Arthur decided jail didn't sound so bad compared to that.

"Okay, okay! We did them both! We're the ones responsible!"

Harrison whipped his head around and glared at Arthur. "You idiot! He had nothing on us! You just got yourself life in prison!"

"At least I'll be alive!"

Wilfred nodded to two of his guards. "Please escort Mr. Arthur to a private office and have him make a full taped confession. Once he has, drop him off at the local precinct. But before you leave, let Jones and Knight here know." He turned to Jones and Knight. "Once you get the word...well, you two know what to do..."

Harrison glared at Wilfred. "You'll never get away with this!"

"Wanna bet?" He turned to Arthur. "You will forget this meeting ever took place. If I hear word that you're telling people about this, you'll be joining your buddy real soon. Understand?"

Arthur swallowed and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Tipton..."

"Good...Now, I have to get to the hospital. Dr. Martin saved my life. Time to see if I can help save his..."

Back at the hospital, Bailey was still almost catatonic while London tended to her. Zack and Carey were both pacing back and forth waiting to hear any news. As time passed, others began to show up. First were Woody and Addison followed by Marcus and Melanie and Max and Tapeworm. The final people to arrive were Cassie and the kids. And immediately, Ben and Annie ran over to Bailey.

"Mom!"

Bailey just blinked her eyes and looked up at them. "Annie? Ben?"

"How's Dad doing?"

Bailey paused and looked around. "I...I don't know..."

London smiled at them. "We haven't heard anything new in a while. But that might be a good thing though. Besides, your Dad's tough."

Ben and Annie both nodded, but they turned back to their Mom. But Bailey seemed to have slipped back inside herself again.

Annie was getting doubly worried. "What's wrong with Mom?"

London paused. "Your Mom hasn't taken this well at all. I tried to get her to see a doctor herself, but she snapped to and told me she wasn't going anywhere until she heard back about your Dad."

Annie didn't know what to think, but a thought popped into Ben's mind. "Has anyone called Charlie and Abby yet and told them?"

London groaned and shook her head. "It didn't even occur to me..."

Cassie wrapped her arms around Ben and Annie's shoulders. "Tell you what. You two stay here and take care of your Mom, and I'll make sure your brother and sister know..."

Annie and Ben nodded and took the chairs on each side of Bailey. And instinctively, Bailey pulled both of them into a tight embrace. Cassie pulled London to the side.

"Can I get Moseby's number from you? I think it would be better for him to tell them. They shouldn't have to hear something like this over the phone..."

London quickly agreed, and they were about to make the phone call when Todd came out into the waiting room. And immediately, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face him. Zack spoke up.

"How's my brother?"

Todd paused and noticed how distraught and anxious everyone looked. "There's good news and bad news."

"What's the good news?"

"Cody is fighting with everything he has. Fortunately, the bullet completely missed all vital organs, so that's one less thing to worry about..."

Everyone went quiet, but everyone was surprised when they heard Bailey's voice. "What's the bad news?"

Todd took a deep breath. "While no organs were hit, there was a lot of internal bleeding that it took them a little while to find the source of it. But they have now, and have it clamped. Cody is on his way to the operating room to repair it as well as remove the bullet from his chest."

Carey spoke up. "That sounds like its good news..."

"Well, it would be. But Cody lost a lot of blood. And unfortunately, Cody is AB Negative. Its the rarest blood type in the world. We only have so much of it in storage, and that's mostly from Cody donating it himself. We might run out of blood that his body can accept..."

Everyone went silent contemplating that fact. That was until Zack spoke up again. "Wait a minute! Cody and I are identical twins...Wouldn't my blood type be AB Negative too?"

Todd nodded. "Yes, I guess it would..."

"Then get a needle ready and take as much as you need!"

Ben turned to his Mom. "What's my blood type, Mom?"

Bailey blinked her eyes. "Ummm...I believe you are AB Negative too, Sweetie..."

Annie spoke too. "Me too?"

Bailey shook her head. "No, you're O Negative like me..."

Ben stood up. "I'm donating too!"

Todd nodded again. "Alright. Lets get you two to the blood center ASAP!"

Zack and Ben began following Todd, but once they were out of sight and earshot of everyone else, Zack pulled Todd to the side.

"What aren't you telling us?"

Todd sighed and swallowed. "Cody flat lined on the table. For a few seconds, he was dead. But, the doctors used the defibrillator and revived him. I didn't think I should say that in front of everyone. Bailey looks bad enough as it is. I don't think she could have handled that..."

Zack nodded and turned to his nephew. "We tell no one then. At least not now. With your Dad fighting with all he has and Charlie out of the country, I need you to step up and be the man of your family. I need you to take care of your Mom and sister. Can you do that for me?"

Ben nodded, and they were off again to give blood.

In the operating room, the surgeons continued working on Cody. But Cody was completely unaware of what was going on around him. It was as if he was not even there in the room with him. Rather, it was elsewhere, and he was looking at a large, bright light. A light so bright, he couldn't even open his eyes for fear that it would blind him.

"Its okay, Cody...You can open your eyes..."

Cody paused. He recognized that voice, but it was impossible for him to be hearing it.

"Come on, Sweetheart...Open your eyes."

Cody's eyes began to flutter before they finally did open. And he could actually see. But what he saw was like nothing he had ever seen before in his life. Everything was so warm and had a bright aura to it. He didn't know why, but he immediately felt comfortable and at ease. Taking a deep breath, he began to relax. Well, that was until a figure walked in front of him.

"Its so good to see you again, Cody. Its been far too long..."

Cody just stood there staring with his mouth wide open in shock. There was no way possible way he was seeing what he was seeing. There was a woman there smiling at him. A woman he knew all too well.

"Grandma?"

Ellie just kept smiling at him.

__To be Continued...__

**AN: I ask everyone to snap into a Slim Jim tonight to honor the passing of former Lexington resident and one of my childhood idols, Randy "Macho Man" Savage. I hope Miss Elizabeth is there to welcome you. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Yeah!**__  
><em>_


	12. A Time for Family

_Chapter 12_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

By now, everyone had moved from the waiting room outside of the emergency room to the waiting room outside of the operating room. Constantly, everyone was checking on Bailey to see if she needed anything, but all she wanted was to hear that her Cody was going to be alright. But, he was still in surgery, and there had been no updates since he had been moved to the OR. After a little while, Ben and Zack had returned after giving as much blood as they were allowed to donate. Marcus, Melanie, Max and Tapeworm all took the kids down to the cafeteria to get something to eat and try to distract them. And by this time, Kurt and Sarah had arrived from Providence and had been given the most recent update. The rest of the adults tried to occupy themselves with hospital magazines or the TV, but none of them could really focus. London was still tending to Bailey when she saw her father enter the waiting room.

"Daddy?"

Wilfred smiled and walked over and sat down on the other side of Bailey. "Any word yet?"

Bailey looked up and shook her head.

Wilfred nodded. "Well, I'm not sure if it will make you feel any better, but the persons responsible for this are being dealt with as we speak..."

That got Bailey's attention, and she whipped her head around to look at Wilfred. And she was beyond angry. "Who? Who did this? I'll kill them myself!"

Wilfred paused. "I don't blame you in that. It was Arthur and Harrison. Arthur confessed to me that they were the ones behind trying to steal from the company, trying to poison me and having Cody shot..."

London's eyes went wide. "They tried to poison you, Daddy?"

"They actually did. Fortunately, Cody gave me such a thorough examination that he found out that I had high levels of...potassium something or another. The stuff they use in lethal injections. But, I saw Cody again this morning, and I'm fine again."

Bailey just shook her head as she seethed. "Potassium chloride. So...they shoot my husband just because he ruined their plot?"

"That...and I think they figured you'd be too busy to rat out their theft if you you were...preoccupied."

Bailey's anger was growing more and more. "They won't get away with this! I have a phone call to make!" She tried to stand up, but London and Wilfred both held her down.

"Already taken care of. Arthur is in police custody, and Harrison is...well...lets just say he's missing."

London just looked at her father. "Missing as in goat herding?"

Wilfred just smiled and shook his head in the negative. He then turned back to Bailey. "If Arthur ever gets out, you can call in your friends then. Now, Cody saved my life. I want you to know that I plan on doing everything I can to repay that favor. And right now, I don't want you to worry or focus on anything else but to get him through this..."

Bailey sighed and nodded. "Thank you..."

"I have confidence he'll pull through though. While we were waiting for my test results this morning, Cody and I had a chance to chat. You know, I've heard stories about how your desk at the shelters is full of pictures of your family. Well, I saw first hand that Cody's is as well. He has a picture of you two from your wedding prominently displayed on his desk. I think he wants everyone who comes in there to see how lucky he is..."

Bailey had to smile at that. "I like to think I'm the lucky one..."

Wilfred grinned. "Well, he said you were the one who had put up with him for over twenty-five years..."

Bailey paused and began crying again. "I want more though! I want another twenty-five years! And then another twenty-five years! I just want to see him again..."

London pulled her into another hug. "You will. You will. I bet right now, Cody's ready to see you again right now too."

Back...well, Cody was quite sure where he was exactly, but he just stood there staring at his grandmother. Well, it looked like his grandmother, but that was impossible. At least he thought it was impossible. Still, he was standing there with his eyes wide open and mouth hanging over.

Ellie just laughed. "Cody, it looks like you've just seen a ghost..."

Cody began stammering. "Well...I...ummm...I think I am!"

Ellie just shook her head. "Touche...I guess I have physically been dead for quite a while, haven't I?"

"Yeah, I mean..." Cody stopped in mid thought. He swallowed. "Wait...Does this mean that I'm...that I'm...?"

Ellie smiled. "No, Cody. You're not dead. You're just having what they call an out of body experience..."

Cody shook his head. "But that's impossible! There's no proof those actually exist..."

"Well, you have all the proof you need now. You're having one."

Cody tried to digest that, and he began looking around. "So...is this heaven?"

Ellie shook her head. "Nope."

Cody's eyes went wide again. "Is this hell?"

Ellie laughed. "Nope. Not that either."

Cody paused. "So...Dante was right and there is a purgatory?"

Ellie smiled. "I didn't say that either. Cody...Sweetheart...Put away that big brain of yours for a while, and enjoy just being here."

"But why am I here?"

"Do you remember what happened to you?"

Cody paused to think. "I remember heading out with Todd to get some lunch, and then...nothing."

"You were shot. Right now, you're on the operating table. You might know how its going, but everything those doctors are saying is going right over my head..."

Cody just stood there thinking about that. But then it hit him, and he turned to his grandmother. "Bailey! How is she doing?"

Ellie gave him a sad smile. "Not well. She's scared to death that she's going to lose you. She won't even let herself consider that possibility." Ellie's smiled grew wider. "You're wife doesn't think she can live without you. I knew from the first time I met her that there was something special about that girl."

Cody shook his head. "No offense, Grandma, I'm loving seeing you again, but how do I get back to ease Bailey's fears?"

"Cody, when the time is right, you'll go back. Until then, enjoy your time here."

In the operating room, the surgeons continued working on Cody. The bullet was removed, and the source of the internal bleeding was patched up. After Cody was sewn up, the doctors just looked at each other.

"We've done all we can. The rest is up to him."

"Agreed. I just hope the lack of blood to his brain didn't cause any lasting problems."

"You want to tell the family, or should I?"

A third individual walked up to them. "I'll do it."

"If you say so, Chief..."

Todd shook his head. "No, I'm not the chief." He pointed to Cody lying there. "He's still the chief. I'm just filling in for him until he's able to take back over. But, I know the family very well. It might be easier coming from me. You two just get him to the ICU. His family will want to see him him soon."

And with that, Todd left the OR and made his way for the waiting room.

Cody just looked at his grandmother in surprise.

"What do you mean I'm here until the time is right? When will that be?"

Ellie smiled. "I don't know. Its not my call, and its not your call. Its beyond our control."

Cody was agitated. "Whose call is it then?"

"I can't tell you that, but one day, when the time is right, it'll be explained to you. So, instead of worrying about what you can't control, lets just enjoy the time we have."

Cody sighed and nodded. "So...what do you do...here...anyways?"

Ellie grinned. "Pretty much anything we want. I spend a lot of time keeping an eye on my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren..."

Cody's eyes went wide. "Great great granchildren?"

Ellie laughed. "Gotcha!"

"Very funny..."

"Besides doing that, I spend a lot of time with your grandfather, family and old friends."

That caught Cody's attention. "Will I get to meet any of them too?"

"Perhaps. We'll have to see. But while I'm here, I wanted to tell you how proud I am of all of you. You're the chief of medicine and Zack's the AD at BC. I couldn't be a prouder grandmother." She laughed. "Of course, I have a few friends who are Yankee fans who weren't really happy with me for a while..."

Cody laughed too. "I can see that."

"And I'm just as proud of my beautiful granddaughters. I knew you and Zack had met your matches with Bailey and Cassie, and I was right..."

Cody smiled. "Yeah. They're the best."

Ellie grinned. "And my grandchildren?" She laughed again. "They're quite the bunch. I swear...sometimes Charlie and Brady remind me so much of you and Zack. And Abby and Beth are their mothers all over again. I'm constantly bragging about them to all of my friends."

Cody smiled again, but then he stopped. "Charlie and Abby...I wonder how they are handling this..."

"They're handling it about as well as they can. I just checked on them, and they have great friends taking care of them."

Cody turned and for the second time, his mouth fell open in shock. "Grandpa?"

Back at Massachusetts General, in the OR waiting room, Todd walked back out. And once again, everyone immediately went quiet and focused their eyes on Todd.

"Cody is now out of surgery. The bullet was removed, and the doctors repaired everything else."

Carey sighed in relief. "So, he's going to be alright?"

Todd paused. "We don't know yet. Due to the internal bleeding, Cody's brain didn't have as much blood as its used to, and with it, a lack of oxygen. We aren't sure if that will leave any lasting effects yet or not. He could come through completely normal."

Zack spoke up. "What's the worst case scenario?"

"Worst case is he might suffer some brain damage. Maybe some slow down in his motor skills and memory loss."

Everyone just sat there taking that in, but Todd continued.

"But either way, we won't know until Cody wakes up. He's in the ICU right now."

"When will he wake up?"

Todd paused. "That we don't know. You see...Cody's in a coma..."

__To be Continued...__

**AN: My bad. I was in a hurry to get it posted so I could fix dinner and watch the Family Guy Return of the Jedi spoof. Mea culpa.**__  
><em>_


	13. The Grandpas

_Chapter 13_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Everyone just stared at Todd not knowing what to say exactly. A coma? And Cody could have brain damage and a loss of memory when he woke up? Bailey shook her head defiantly. She knew better than that. She had the complete and utmost confidence that man who would wake up would be the Cody she had known and loved for the majority of her life. People had underestimated him before, and he'd always proven himself up to the task. This time would be no different. He had survived the surgery, and that bit of good news gave Bailey all the courage and determination she needed. She spoke up.

"May I see him?"

Todd nodded. "Of course. I have to warn you though, you might not be prepared for how he looks..."

That didn't phase Bailey in the least. "I don't care. He's my husband, and I want to see him!"

"Alright. Well, I have to restrict it to three people at a time in the room with him. I think Bailey, Ben and Annie should be the first ones to go inside."

Bailey nodded, and she took each of Annie and Ben's hands in hers. They followed Todd up to the ICU floor while everyone else gathered their things to move to the waiting room outside of the ICU. When they arrived at Cody's room, Bailey, Ben and Annie all stopped as soon as they saw Cody for the first time since that morning. And it hit them all how different he looked. That morning, he had been smiling and so full of life. But now. Now, he was lying motionless in a hospital bed. And he had all kinds of tubes coming in and out of him, hooked up to numerous machines, and had a ventilator to make sure he was breathing.

The stark contrast left Ben and Annie speechless. And even though Bailey had a good idea of what to expect, it was still unnerving. But she stayed strong. London had been right. What Cody needed now was her love, and that's exactly what she was there to give him. She walked her children over to the side of his bed.

Annie frowned. "Is Daddy going to be alright?"

Bailey smiled at her. "I think so. He just needs his rest right now. He's gone through a lot today, and he just needs time to recover and get well. And when he does, he's going to need all of our help for a little while..."

Ben paused. "Will Dad be the same though? Nikki's Dad said he might be different..."

"I sure hope so. I know we like to tease your Dad a lot, but we love him just the way he is. I don't know about you guys, but I'd gladly take hearing one of his corny jokes or puns right now."

Annie had to laugh. "Does he know just how bad they are?"

Bailey smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he does. But its not really your Dad's fault though. From what your great grandmother used to tell me, its something he inherited from your great grandpa Charlie..."

Once Cody heard that voice, he had turned around. And there grinning at him was none other than his Grandpa Charlie. Cody closed his eyes and shook his head. But when he opened them again, his grandfather was still standing there. And he looked exactly like Cody remembered.

"Grandpa?"

Grandpa Charlie just grinned. "What? Looks like you've seen a ghost..."

Ellie just shook her head and laughed. "I already used that one on him..."

"I told you I rubbed off on to you..." He laughed turned to Cody. "Have you gotten Bailey to make them too?"

Cody was still a little taken aback. "Well, not really. She'll let one slip every once in a while, but usually she just rolls her eyes and shakes her head at me."

"I know that feeling all too well. Your Grandma used to constantly do the same thing to me..."

Cody paused. "So, you know who Bailey is?"

Grandpa Charlie smiled. "Of course I do. Ever since I've been here, I've kept an eye on everybody. I was watching when you first met her. Cody, I don't have to tell this to you, but you've got yourself a keeper there."

Cody smiled. "You're right. I knew that five minutes after I met her..."

"Don't you mean five minutes after you knew she was a girl?"

Cody laughed. "You really were watching..."

"Of course I was. I've watched you and Zack for a long time. I've seen everything the two of you have done. Well, almost everything. I do believe in giving you your privacy. But I was there when all eight of my grandchildren were born too. We were so proud that day..."

"So, what else did you do up here?"

Grandpa Charlie paused. "Well, if you want to wait on someone, they let you. And I wasn't going anywhere until I was with my Ellie again. So, I spent time in the...well...for lack of a better term, waiting area. You know those areas in malls where wives drop off their husbands so they can sit and hold the shopping bags?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah..."

"It was kind of like that. Except we had cards and TVs and things like that to keep us busy. Plus, time around here doesn't follow the same rules as it does back there. I will say...you can tell Zack that you two have made me a very proud Grandpa. Zack winning the World Series with the Red Sox, and you winning the College Team Jeopardy Tournament...everyone here was watching. I didn't have to buy a single drink either of those nights..."

Cody paused to take that in. "Wow..."

Grandpa Charlie grinned. "Plus, I was always a big sports fan, and we get every game we could ever want. Still, I know its almost been thirty years on Earth, but I still refuse to acknowledge the Oklahoma City Thunder. To me, they will always be the Supersonics."

Cody grinned. "I understand, but they are my father-in-law's team. I have converted Bailey to a Boston sports fan though."

"I know. His Daddy and I have talked about that a lot."

Cody frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Grandpa Charlie grinned. "Oh...Well, when I got here, I soon made good friends with another new guy too. His name was Andrew Pickett, but we call him Andy."

"But that's Bailey's grandfather..."

"I believe I just told you that..."

"Wow...What a coincidence that you became friends with the grandfather of my future wife..."

"Cody, Cody, Cody...It was no coincidence."

Back in Cody's ICU room, more family and friends had stopped by his room to see him. And to a one, they were all a little uncomfortable seeing him just lying there looking so helpless. But, they took solace in the fact that since Cody had made it out of surgery, Bailey had done a total 180. She was now so optimistic and aware of everything that was going on that it was starting to worry people.

And she even took the chance to personally call Charlie and Abby to let them know what was going on. Like everyone else, they were surprised by their Mom's new change of attitude. While neither one of them were going to sleep well that night, at least they took comfort in the fact that their Dad had made it through the surgery. They asked Bailey if they should come home, but she dismissed that idea and promised them she would have Cody call them real soon when he finally woke up.

As the night turned to early morning, most of their friends had to be getting their kids home and in bed. And of course, due to hospital rules, visiting hours were long over. Normally, family members weren't allowed to stay in the ICU rooms, but an exception was made because Cody was the Chief of Medicine and Todd wasn't about to tell Bailey no.

Carey had to try though. "Bailey, are you sure you don't want to head home and get some rest? I'll stay here with Cody and call you if there are any changes."

Bailey shook her head. "Carey, I'm not leaving until I can take Cody home with me. I want to be here when he wakes up, and we can put this nightmare to rest."

Kurt nodded. "Well, if you want, we can take Ben and Annie back to your house and bring them back first thing in the morning."

Bailey smiled. "Thank you, I'd appreciate that. And I know Cody would too."

Sarah smiled back at her. "Tell you what, before we come back, I'll pack a bag for you so you will have fresh clothes to change in to tomorrow."

Todd spoke up. "And you are free to use the bathroom in Cody's office to clean up in. From what I hear, he makes the janitorial staff keep it meticulously clean."

Bailey nodded. "I can do that. And I appreciate everyone's offers of assistance. But, I'll be fine. I know I freaked out earlier, but I'm doing much better now. Just being able to be here with Cody has made all the difference in the world."

Everyone told her they would be back first thing in the morning and said their goodbyes. Once she was alone in the room with Cody, she pulled a chair up next to his bed. She picked up his hand and held it in hers.

"I know I'm being stubborn again, but its like I told you back in college. I can't sleep without you right there beside me. And I know you're a doctor, but I don't want you to listen to what they're saying. I know you're going to be just fine now..."

She reached down and brushed some hair away from his forehead. "You remember back in high school when we had to do that marriage assignment, and you got injured. Well, I promise you now that things will be different this time. For one, I've gotten payback for that numerous times. There was when I broke my ankle, and when I got the flu real bad." She smiled at him. "And I can't forget how well you took care of me while I was pregnant. Well, this is my turn to take care of you. I'm going to nurse you back to health myself...I know now what in sickness and in health means, and I promise to be extremely sympathetic."

She paused and began crying again. "You just have to promise me that you are going to pull through this. Because I'm nowhere near ready for until death does us part! Cody, we have so many plans for the future. You've painted such a wonderful picture of what it will be like. Call me selfish, but I want that! But none of that is possible without you there with me!"

Bailey reached over and grabbed a tissue to wipe her eyes. She squeezed Cody's hand. "You remember Tokyo? I was so scared that night too. Scared that something was going to happen to you. I was sixteen and already knew I couldn't live without you. Imagine what it feels like now." She smiled at him. "Face it, Cody. I'm not getting rid of you yet. I refuse to do that. And you know I can be just as stubborn as you are. So, I'm going to sit right here next to you until you wake up. Take your time and let yourself heal..." She brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it. "I'll be right here."

Back in wherever they were, Cody just looked at his grandfather. What did he mean it wasn't a coincidence? Cody stopped to think and then began laughing.

"I get it now! I'm dreaming! Is this supposed to be some kind of A Christmas Carol or Its A Wonderful Life kind of thing? Because its not necessary. I love my life! I'm married to the most beautiful, most wonderful woman in the world, have four amazing kids, great friends and a job I love...I wouldn't change a thing!"

Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Ellie just looked at each other before turning back to Cody.

"You aren't dreaming, Cody. This is real. I know you've always been kind of a skeptic and want proof, but I can't provide it to you."

Cody just stared at them. "Then why am I here?"

"That's the wrong question to ask. You should be asking 'I'm here, what am I going to do with it?'..."

Grandpa Charlie nodded. "She's right. By the way, thank you for being a cardiologist. Helping people survive what I couldn't. That means a lot to me. Shows you actually care about making a difference."

Cody paused. "Well, I do, but..." He stopped, held up his hand and looked at it funny. "Huh?"

Ellie smiled. "What's going on, Cody?"

Cody just looked at his hand in confusion. "I don't know...I feel my hand tingling."

Ellie and Charlie just looked at each other and grinned. "That's a good thing."

Cody stopped and looked at his grandfather. "What did you mean earlier when you said it wasn't a coincidence."

Charlie smiled. "Well, maybe I should finally introduce you to someone first..."

"Who?"

From behind him, Cody heard another voice. "Me!"

Cody turned around. He shook his head as he thought he was looking at Joe Pickett. "Mr. Pickett?"

The man smiled. "Yep, but I'm not my son. I'm Andy. I'm your grandfather-in-law."

"You're Andy Pickett?"

Andy nodded. "In the flesh..." He began laughing. "Well, you know what I mean..."

Charlie grinned. "We were both honored that you named your firstborn son after us. Charles Andrew is a great kid."

Andy grinned too. "Yeah, he is. I told you way back when we'd have good grand kids..."

Cody smiled. "Yeah? When did you say that?"

Andy laughed. "When you and Bailey were both 10..."

Cody paused and frowned. "But we didn't meet until we we're 15..."

Charlie laughed this time. "Who do you think arranged that?"

__To be Continued...__


	14. Eye Openers

_Chapter 14_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Cody just stood there looking at his grandfather and grandfather-in-law. The information they had just laid on him had really knocked him for a loop. They were the ones who had arranged for he and Bailey meeting on the S.S. Tipton? When Cody and Bailey had talked about it, they had always thought it was fate that brought them together.

"You...you two were the ones responsible for bringing us together on the boat?"

Charlie grinned at him. "Well, we gave you both that push. You see, Cody...when Andy and I first met, we did what every grandfather does - we bragged about our grandchildren. And as we did, we soon realized that you and Bailey had an awful lot in common and thought you two would get along great."

Andy nodded. "We thought you two were perfect for each. I mean...I had to do something to get her away from that psychopath, Moose."

"And I had to do something to get you away from that whack job, Barbara..."

"But the problem was that you two lived thousands of miles apart." Andy grinned. "And that's when we heard about Seven Seas High. We knew that was our chance. I thought we might have had a problem when Bailey was accepted as a boy, but leave it to my granddaughter to find a way."

Charlie smiled again. "And it worked beyond our wildest dreams!"

Cody just stood there taking everything in. "Bailey and I always thought it was fate that brought us together."

"Cody, we just got you two there. Everything else that happened was all you two. And for twenty-five years, its been the two of you who have made your relationship work."

Andy nodded. "We just put you in a position to make it happen. And you did."

Cody paused. "Does that mean there is no such thing as fate?"

Charlie and Andy just looked at each other and laughed. "Oh, there is definitely a fate. But, it was working way too slowly for our liking..."

Cody frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, we weren't the only ones who had a good feeling about you two. Fate had its own plan for you two. If we had left it up to fate, you two wouldn't have met until your freshman year at Yale." Charlie smiled. "You two had a lot of people up here rooting for you two."

Andy laughed. "We just sped things up a little bit. We're hoping you aren't too upset with us..."

Cody shook his head. "No...Not at all. I'm glad I didn't have to wait three more years to meet her. Like I said, I wouldn't change a thing about my life..."

And paused. "I must say though, you through us all for a loop with your six month plan. We weren't expecting that. We tried to speed that up a little bit too..."

"You did?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah...You remember the international dateline dance? That was us, but there was a glitch somewhere that screwed it up. Sorry about that. And tell Bailey that whole Princess Zaria thing was our bad too. We went bowling that day and had no idea what we'd miss."

Cody laughed. "No problem. Bailey and I still laugh about that all time. So, what did you two do once Bailey and I were together?"

Charlie grinned. "Well, once we had you taken care of, I set my sights on Zack. I figured I'd have a little more difficulty with him. And, Andy didn't think any of his other granddaughters were quite right for him..."

Andy grinned too. "But my son had a niece that we thought might fit the bill. So, we made sure your Dad and her Aunt met hoping he would mention Seven Seas High and get the ball rolling..."

"The rest is history. Cassie met Zack, and we were two for two." Charlie paused. "Of course, we didn't see your Dad and her Aunt Sara happening. I guess that was just a happy unintended accident."

Cody paused. "So, you guys have done a lot of matchmaking up here?"

Charlie nodded. "Well, we want to see our families happy. Of course, you and Zack have been just as guilty. I mean, I think Arwin is a great guy, but I just never thought my daughter would ever give him a chance. I'm glad she did though."

Cody just shook his head in disbelief. "Wow..." Then another thought popped into his mind. "Are you two currently planning any other potential matches?"

Both just grinned at him. "Maybe."

Cody shook his head and held up his hands. "I don't want to know!"

Ellie had finally had enough. "You two leave the poor boy alone. Can't you see he's being overloaded with information right now..."

"Thanks, Grandma...I'm just glad you aren't part of their schemes..."

She grinned at him. "Oh, I never said that..."

Andy laughed. "Come on, Cody...There are lot more people in the family who have been waiting to meet you..."

Back inside Cody's ICU room, Grandpa Charlie's words turned out to be true. Time in the real world passed by much quicker than it did where he was. Bailey finally fell asleep due to pure exhaustion sometime early Saturday morning. But, she slept the whole night with her fingers intertwined with Cody's. The next morning, she was awoken by the doctor coming in to check on Cody. He was almost done when Bailey finally realized he was there.

"How is Cody doing?"

The doctor was busy reading the results of the EEG. "Well, this is very promising. His brain activity is actually well above normal..."

Bailey smiled. "That's my Cody. His mind was always did work a little more than everyone else's..."

The doctor checked Cody's eyes and paused. "Huh...That's weird. I figured he was probably dreaming, but his eyes show no signs of REM."

Bailey paused. "What does that mean exactly?"

"It could mean a lot things..." The doctor laughed. "Either way, its a great sign. And his vitals are in the higher end of the range of what we would expect right now."

"So, he should be waking up soon?"

"I can't say..." The doctor paused. "For as far as medical knowledge has come, we still can't determine how long a person will be in a coma. From the results, it could be a couple of more hours or a couple of more days or...who knows. But, it looks real promising now."

Bailey sighed in relief. "That's wonderful news."

Not too long after, everyone began showing up again. Bailey explained to them what the doctor said, and everyone sighed in relief as well. She didn't want to leave Cody's side in case he did wake up. But, Carey and Cassie eventually did convince her to go grab a shower and put on fresh clothes. So, as quickly as she could, she showered and cleaned up in Cody's office. As she was about to head out, she did stop and look at Cody's desk.

Bailey had to smile as she saw all the pictures he had there. There indeed was a picture of them on their wedding day, but it was the picture the kids had given them for their anniversary. But there were pictures of her and the kids all over his office. One picture in particular stood out to her. It was a picture of everyone taken their last next day on the boat their senior years. Everyone looked so young with their futures ahead of them. Laughing to herself, she wondered thought about how close they all still were and hoped the kids would make lifelong friends like they had Friends who would be more like family and would always be there for them.

Returning back to Cody's room, she could see he was still sleeping peacefully. Part of her had wished he would be awake when she got back, but part of her wanted to be the first person he saw when he did. So, she joined Carey in constantly fussing over him lying there.

Saturday went by without Cody waking up, but Bailey could feel it deep inside of her that it would happen soon. Saturday night was a repeat of Friday night as Bailey just continued talking to Cody before she went to sleep in the chair next to him.

"You know, Cody, I know our bed at home would be a lot more comfortable, so the sooner you wake up, the sooner we can back home to it..."

"Trying to bribe him, Pumpkin?"

Bailey turned around and saw her mother and father standing there. "Momma...Daddy...What are you two doing here?"

Maggie smiled. "We got here as quickly as we could. When one of our own is in trouble, we'll always come to their aid. And...we heard you weren't doing too good yourself..."

"I'm doing much better now. When I didn't know anything, I did kind of shut myself off from the world. But once I knew Cody made it out of surgery, I was back." She smiled. "I know Cody's going to be just fine now."

Joe paused. "I hope so, Sweetheart, but word we got was that he might have some brain damage or memory loss."

Bailey shook her head. "The doctor told me this morning that his brain was firing on all cylinders. I seriously doubt any of that will happen."

Maggie walked over and rubbed Bailey's shoulder. "I understand your hopes, but have you even thought about the fact that it could happen. The Cody that wakes up might not be exactly how you remember him..."

Bailey turned and looked at Cody. "I don't care. 70% of Cody is still better than anything else. Did you hear me, Cody? I love you. Our children love you. If you aren't the same as before, it won't matter to us at all. Because I know deep down, you will still be in there. We just want you to come back to us. Will you do that for me? For your kids?"

Andy Pickett had been correct. There were a lot of people who wanted to see and meet Cody. And for his part, Cody was happy to actually put some faces to the names and stories he had heard. Of course, he did get to see his Great Uncles Mitch and Tommy again.

Charlie laughed. "You know, matchmaking isn't all we've done. Who do you think urged you all to that little hole in the wall place off the main strip in Guam?"

Cody just looked at him. "That was you?"

"Yup. I also figured if I got you to Yale, you'd somehow manage to find your Uncle Tommy too."

Cody paused. "Wait a minute! Are you the one behind Zack getting me banned from Harvard?"

Charlie just kept smiling.

Cody just laughed. "Unbelievable..."

"Of course, at Yale, you got yourself another group of people to have your back. I'm actually proud of you and Bailey. That's a lot of power you both have, but you both are very responsible and use it only when you have to."

Andy walked back over to Cody was a younger looking people. "Cody, I'd like you to meet two more people who'd like to meet you as well. This is Hank and Elizabeth..."

Suddenly, it dawned on him. "You're Cassie's parents..."

Hank smiled. "Yeah, we are. We're extremely proud of her. Your family has had quite the impact on ours. For a while, we were really worried about her. But, once she met you all on the boat, she completely turned her life around. I'm just glad to see my sister, my niece and my daughter all so happy."

Elizabeth smiled too. "I must say, at first, I was a little hesitant about your brother..."

Cody laughed. "Join the club..."

"But he's a good guy, a loving father and a wonderful husband to our Cassandra."

Hank laughed. "And you can tell him that we're all laughing along side of him watching the Red Sox fall apart now..." He paused. "Also, tell him to keep a close eye on the men's hockey coach at BC. That's all I can say though..."

Cody paused. "I will..."

Elizabeth nodded. "And tell Cassie and Zack that we absolutely adore our grandchildren and are keeping an eye on them as well. We're extremely proud of them all."

Hank nodded and smiled. "Brady reminds me so much of myself at that age..."

Cody paused. "Huh...I thought he took after Zack, but I guess he got a double dose..." He began laughing. "Poor Mr. Moseby..."

Ellie laughed. "If you only knew..."

Cody looked at her funny. He was about to say something when he started feeling funny. Everything was becoming fuzzy and distorted. "Whoa...Is anyone else getting dizzy?"

Ellie smiled. "No...But I think this is your sign that its time for you to go back."

"I'm going back to the real world?"

Ellie kept smiling. "Yeah. Its time. Cody, Sweetheart...As much as I love you and have enjoyed seeing you again, I hope I don't see you again for a long, long time..."

Charlie smiled too. "Same goes for me, Codester..."

Cody was still getting woozy and slightly nauseous, but he still laughed. "That's right...You called me that first..."

Andy patted him on the back. "See you later, Son. Keep taking care of my granddaughter and my grandchildren for me. And tell my little Bailey Boo Bear that her Grandpa loves her and misses her."

But that was the last thing Cody heard as suddenly everything went dark for him.

Sunday has passed much like Saturday had. All day, family and friends came by to check on Cody. And they weren't the only ones. Almost all of the hospital's staff had showed up to check to see if there was anything they could do to help. When Wilfred Tipton stopped by, Bailey did tell him that she might have to take some time off of work as she was planning on taking care of Cody no matter how long it took. Wilfred just smiled and said it was already taken care of. Bailey would be on administrative leave for as long as she or Cody needed it. Plus, an anonymous check was delivered to the board of Mass General to cover any donations Cody was going to miss soliciting while he recovered.

On Sunday night, Bailey once again got herself comfortable in the chair next to Cody's hospital bed. Like she had the past two nights, she got comfortable and took Cody's hand in hers.

"I guess if you can live the same day over and over again eighty-seven times trying to tell me how you felt about me, then I can do the same waiting for you to wake up. I'm not going anywhere. I love you, Codykins" She closed her eyes and squeezed his hand. And that's when she felt it. He had squeezed her hand back. Immediately, she sat up and opened her eyes. And that's when she saw it. Cody had his eyes open looking right back at her.

__To be Continued...__


	15. Back Among the Living

_Chapter 15_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

"I love you, Codykins" Bailey closed her eyes and squeezed Cody's hand. And that's when she felt it. He squeezed her hand back. Immediately, she sat up and opened her eyes. And that's when she saw it. Cody had his eyes open looking right back at her.

Immediately, Bailey jumped out of her chair without ever letting go of Cody's hand. "Oh my gosh! You're awake!"

Cody tried to say something, but the respirator in his mouth wouldn't let him. Bailey just continued to rub his hand, but her tears were coming back uncontrollably. But these were happy tears.

"Don't try to speak. Can you actually hear me? Blink once for yes and twice for no."

Cody blinked his eyes once.

Bailey just smiled. "Oh thank goodness!" She held his hand up to her lips and kissed it. "I missed you so much! I'm so glad you're back now!"

Cody blinked hie eyes once again.

"You missed me too, huh?" Bailey leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Welcome back. I..." She paused. "Oh my gosh! I should go get the doctors to let them know you're awake!" She turned around, but Cody was still holding on to her hand. She turned back and smiled at him again. "I'm not going anywhere, but the doctors should check you out. Besides, I need to call everyone and let them know the good news!"

Cody blinked again and reluctantly let go of her hand. Bailey ran out into the hallway and began shouting. "My husband is awake! My husband is awake!"

Within a matter of minutes, a doctor and nurse ran towards and into Cody's room and began examining him. The nurse turned to Bailey and smiled. "I know you're ecstatic right now, but can you give us a few minutes?"

Bailey nodded and stepped out into the hallway. And immediately, she pulled out her phone. She called Carey first to give her the good news. And Carey said she'd be there in fifteen minutes. Bailey then called Cassie and told her the good news and asked her to spread the news around too. Cassie was more than happy to do so, and said Zack was on his way to the hospital. Bailey was about to make a third call when she stopped to check her watch. It wasn't even midnight yet which meant it wasn't quite 5 AM on the S.S. Tipton. She decided to wait a couple of more hours to call Charlie and Abby hoping by then Cody might be able to say something to them.

About that time, the doctor and nurse came out of Cody's room with smiles on their faces. "Good news, Mrs. Martin. It looks like Dr. Martin doesn't need his ventilator anymore. We're going to examine him again in the morning, but he seems to be healing properly."

Bailey sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."

"If all goes well, we'll move him into a private room sometime late tomorrow morning or early tomorrow afternoon."

"What about when I might get to take him home?"

The doctor paused. "Well, he was extremely lucky no internal organs were hit. I mean, a about an inch lower and it would have hit his heart..."

Bailey's eyes went wide. "Excuse me?"

The doctor smiled. "Your husband was very fortunate. He must have had a guardian angel looking out for him. There's some damage to muscle though and that will take time to heal, and of course, the loss of blood still concerns me. I'd like to keep him at least several days just to keep an eye on him. If all goes well and I'm satisfied with his progress, I can see releasing him on Thursday or Friday."

Bailey nodded. "I'd rather it be sooner, but his health comes first. Can I go back inside and see him?"

"Of course. Just remember, he's still very weak. Don't be surprised if he falls back asleep fairly soon. His body needs the rest."

"I understand." Bailey headed back into Cody's room, and she could see his eyes following her all the way in.

"How are you feeling?"

Cody gave her a weak smile, and is voice was barely above a raspy whisper. "All things considered...I've been better."

Bailey smiled at him again. "Well, I'm just happy to see those blue eyes and that smile again."

"I guess I missed our date night tonight, huh?"

Bailey paused. "Well, you did, but Cody...this is Sunday night. You've been in a coma for over two days." She smiled again. "But I'll let it slide this time that you missed our date night. I think you have a good enough excuse."

Cody frowned. "Sunday night? But I wasn't gone that long. A few hours at the most."

"What are you talking about, Cody?"

Cody paused and began laughing weakly. "Of course. That's what Grandpa meant when he said time there doesn't pass the same as it does here..."

Bailey just looked at Cody. "Grandpa?"

Cody nodded and smiled. "Yeah...I saw my Grandma and my Grandpa and a whole lot of people I hadn't seen in a long time or never met before." He paused. "But they would never tell me where I was exactly..."

Bailey paused before she thought she figured out what was going on. She smiled at him. "That must have been some dream you had..."

"I don't think it was a dream. At least they told me it wasn't. But I did learn all kinds of interesting information. Did you know we were supposed to meet in college but our grandfathers interfered and had us meet sooner?"

Bailey just kept smiling. "Is that so? Well, that really does sound like a fascinating dream. You'll have to tell me all about it soon. I think your pain medications got the best of you again though. I think it was playing tricks on your mind."

Cody paused. "You think so?"

"I almost positive..."

"Bails, no offense, I think you're wrong. Everything was so real. I even met your grandfather. He seemed like a real great guy."

Bailey nodded. "He was. My Grandpa Andy was one of a kind..."

Cody smiled. "The last thing I remember is him telling me to take care of you and our kids. And then he wanted me to tell his Bailey Boo Bear that her Grandpa loved her and missed her..."

Bailey just stared at Cody for a minute. "What did you say he called me?"

"Bailey Boo Bear...Its not bad, but I like Bailey Bunny better..."

Bailey continued to just stare at Cody. She hadn't been called Bailey Boo Bear since she was a little girl. And the only person who had ever called her that was her Grandpa. She didn't even think her parents would remember him doing that. And she was almost positive she had never told Cody about it either. The fact that Cody had said that just raised questions in Bailey's mind that she had no rational answer for. So, she decided to push them to the back of her mind and focus on the fact that she had her Cody back.

"I'm just so happy I'll get to hear you call me Bailey Bunny again. So, tell me...how are you really feeling?"

Cody paused. "Sore and worn out. If its Sunday as you say it is, I guess I've been asleep for over two days, but I'm still tired."

Bailey smiled. "Well, your Mom and Zack are both on their way to see you. But if you can't stay awake, I'm sure they'll understand."

Cody smiled back. "I'll try. How are the kids doing?"

"They have your Dad, Aunt Sarah, My Mom, and My Dad taking care of them. Cassie said she would call over and tell them that you're awake. I was going to call Charlie and Abby, but its only 5 AM in Lisbon. I waited because I knew they would want to hear your voice."

"Let me borrow your cell phone then."

Bailey just grinned and handed him her phone. Cody scrolled down to Abby's number and dialed. And when the call was finally picked up, he heard his half asleep daughter.

"_Hey, Mom...Any news on Dad?"_

Cody grinned again. "Word is he finally woke up..."

"_Daddy!"_

"Its me Princess...Just wanted to let you know that I was back."

"_Oh thank goodness! How are you feeling?"_

"Exhausted and sore. I'll probably fall asleep here again soon, but I wanted to let you know I was okay..."

"_Thank you, Daddy...I love you._"

"I love you too, Princess. Now, you go back to sleep. You have class in a few hours."

_Abby laughed. "I'll try, Dad...But I think I'm too wired to sleep right now."_

"Well, if you fall asleep in class, you can blame me this one time. I'll call you again later once I have more energy. I need to call your brother too. Talk to you soon, Abigail..."

Cody hung up that call and found Charlie's number. He dialed that number too. And again, his son sounded half asleep too.

"_Everything okay, Mom?"_

Cody smiled. "You'd have to ask her..."

"_Dad!"_

"Yeah, its me. I just wanted to let you know I was awake. I didn't want you to have to worry about me during school."

_Charlie laughed. "I'll definitely be able to concentrate better now..."_

Cody laughed too. "Good to hear. Oh yeah, how did meeting Marissa's parents go?"

_Charlie sighed. "Long story, Dad..."_

"Tell you what. I'm not going to be awake for very long right now, but we'll talk again later. I'm sure it went better than you think it did."

"_Okay, Dad...I'm glad you're awake. Take care of yourself. Do whatever the doctors tell you to do. More importantly, do what Mom tells you to do."_

"I always do."

Cody hung up and handed Bailey's phone back to her. He smiled. "I think they were happy to hear from me."

Bailey smiled back. "I'm sure they were."

Just then, the door to Cody's room opened and Carey and Zack ran inside. And both of them stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Cody awake and looking back at them. Carey sighed in relief and walked over to kiss Cody's forehead.

"Thank God you're awake. Cody, never scare me like this ever again!"

Cody smiled. "Wasn't my intention in the first place..."

Zack just shook his head and grinned. "You know, Codester...You used to give me a hard time about sleeping all weekend and doing nothing. Finally taking a page out of my book, huh?"

Cody laughed. "I didn't even know I was out all weekend. I thought it was still Friday."

"Nope. Of course, you would have to wait until Sunday night to wake up though. I'm going to be worthless at work tomorrow now..."

"Oh please. You take naps all the time at work." Cody paused. "Oh yeah...I was told to tell you to keep an eye on the BC hockey coach. I'm not sure why though. You might want to take a look at that..." Cody paused and his eyes went wide and began laughing. "Whoa...I think I just felt the pain meds kicking in..."

Carey frowned. "What do you mean you were told that? Who told you that?"

Cody smiled, but it was evident the meds had indeed taken affect. "While I was out, I saw Grandma and Grandpa again. You should hear all the interesting things they told me. Some of what they told me blew my mind..." Cody closed his eyes, and his exhaustion finally overcame him and he fell asleep.

Carey, Zack and Bailey just looked at each other, all concerned with what Cody had just said. He wasn't making any sense whatsoever, and they were beginning to think there was something indeed wrong with him.

__To be Continued...__


	16. Morning Juice

_Chapter 16_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Carey and Zack looked down at Cody who was now breathing softly again. And then they looked back up at Bailey in confusion.

"What the heck was Cody talking about?"

Bailey sighed. "While he was out, he had this dream that he thinks was real. In it, he saw Ellie and his Grandpa again. He says he learned all kinds of things, but he didn't get around to telling me much of them."

Zack paused and nodded. "Wow...Cody had an out of body experience. Cool."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Oh please. There is no such thing as an out of body experience. There is no scientific evidence to show that they are even possible."

Zack smirked. "Is their scientific evidence to support the fact that its possible to be possessed by the spirit of a dead queen? Or how about scientific evidence to support the fact that we all switched bodies our senior years?"

Carey interrupted them. "What are you talking about?"

Zack grinned. "Long stories, Mom..." He turned back to Bailey. "Or how about someone living the same day over and over again. I know you believe all three of those happened..."

Bailey frowned and paused. "Yeah, but those are different."

"Why? Because they actually happened to you, and you couldn't deny they happened? Oh wait. You didn't experience the international dateline thing, but you believed Cody when he told you..."

Again, Carey interrupted. "Will someone please explain to me what the heck you two are talking about?"

Bailey ignored her and thought. "Well...Cody did call me the name that my Grandpa used to call me. I have no idea how he would know that..."

Zack grinned. "Because that's what he told Cody." He paused and rubbed his chin. "Hmmm...I think I'm going to need to do a little investigating into the men's hockey program tomorrow..." He checked his watch. "Or later this morning."

Carey was getting frustrated. "Really? No one's going to tell me?"

Zack sighed. "Mom, there were a couple of incidents that happened on the boat that if you weren't there to experience them, you'd never believe."

"Oh..." Carey paused. "But does it matter whether or not Cody had a dream or actually did experience all of that? The important thing is he's actually awake again."

Bailey nodded. "You're right. That is the important thing."

"Have you called Charlie and Abby?"

"Cody called them before you two got here. He said they were both thrilled."

Carey nodded. "Alright. Well, we aren't out of the woods yet. Cody's back with us, but now we have to see if anything will be different."

Bailey paused. "Call it a gut feeling, but I think he'll be alright. I mean, he did apologize to me for missing our date night. So, I think his memory is just fine. And if there are some gaps, we have shelves and shelves of photo albums at home to fill those in. Besides, he instant recognized all of us." Bailey paused again. "I think the doctor was right. He did have a guardian angel watching out for him."

Zack laughed. "Well, from what he says, he was there hanging out with them. I can't wait to talk to him again to find out what its like up there."

Carey sighed. "Either way, we should let him get his rest. I'll be back in the morning."

"And I'll be back later this afternoon. I think I will have my compliance office look into the hockey program just to make sure."

Bailey smiled. "I'll be here with Cody."

Around 6:30 that morning, Cody slowly woke up again. Opening his eyes, he briefly was confused as to where he was, but he quickly remembered he was still in the hospital. Trying to get comfortable, he moved around, but instantly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He tried to move his arm up to rub it, but he soon realized his hand was being held. Looking over, he saw it was Bailey holding it, but she was still asleep. Cody tried to stretch out, but his body was so stiff. Of course, he realized that was to be expected after lying motionless for two and a half days.

So, he just laid back and tried to get comfortable without waking up Bailey. And he was actually successful in doing so until his nose started to itch. Without thinking, he raised his hand to scratch it, and that's when he heard it.

"Cody? You're awake?"

Cody sighed and smiled. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I went to scratch my nose and forgot you were holding my hand..."

Bailey smiled back at him. "Its okay. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Pretty sore, but otherwise, I feel alright..."

"Good. I'm so glad you're better."

Cody paused and began to laugh. "I guess I'm going to have another scar, huh?"

"I don't care. I told you the scar on your forehead was always there to remind me how much you love me. This will will remind me how close I came to losing you and to never take you for granted ever..."

Cody smiled. "Well, as a side effect, I guess that temporary hole in me let some of that hot air out, huh?"

Bailey laughed. "But I like that hot air...You're all sewn up now, so we'll just have to get you more to replace any that escaped..."

Cody squeezed her hand. "I hope you know that as soon as I can, I'm going to reschedule our date night..."

Bailey smiled at him. "You just tell me when, and I'll be there..."

Cody was about to say something back when the door to his room opened, and the doctor came inside.

"Well, I was just going to check on you because my shift is due to be over in thirty minutes, but since you're awake, I can go ahead and examine you if you want. Get things moving."

Cody nodded. "Sure." He turned to Bailey. "You can go get cleaned up in my office if you want, Bails."

She smiled back at him. "I have been for the past few days. I'll be back in thirty minutes tops."

Bailey was about to grab her small bag and leave when the doctor stopped her. "Actually, take your time. If Dr. Martin passes my examination, I'm going to go ahead and move him to a private room. So, if he's not here, check room 1225."

Cody frowned. "The twelfth floor? That's where the VIP rooms are..."

The doctor laughed. "Around here, you are a VIP. Every floor wanted you moved there. You know, treat the big boss well and suck up to him. Maybe open up the purse strings up a little bit."

Bailey laughed too while Cody just shook his head. "Where ever you are Codykins, I'll find you..."

Close to forty-five minutes later, Bailey was showered and changed and returned to the ICU. She actually smiled to see Cody's room empty. Happily, she made her way to the twelfth floor and to room 1225. The doctor was just leaving as she arrived, and when she entered the room, she saw Cody had a grimace on his face.

"Everything okay?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah...they just removed my catheter tube. Now I know why all my patients were giving me death glares when I had to insert and remove them..."

Bailey laughed. "At least none of them tried to bite you when you did..."

Cody laughed too. "I don't know about all of that..."

Bailey pulled a chair over next to his bed. "Well, I like this room much better. And I definitely like seeing you with a whole lot less tubes and wires going in and out of you..." She paused and grinned. "Of course, you haven't shaved in several days and it looks like you're trying to growing a beard..."

Cody rubbed his chin. "I guess so. What do you think? I might have a full one by the time I get out of here."

Bailey just kept smiling. "I'll shave you later..."

Cody laughed. "That answers that..."

Bailey looked over at the table and saw an empty glass bottle sitting on the bed side stand. She picked it up, read it, and frowned. "Cody...Why is there anabolic steroids in your room?"

"Oh...its supposed to help the muscle in my chest heal quicker. Its a fairly common treatment." He grinned. "I guess there goes my chances for the hall of fame, huh?"

Bailey just looked at him. "What about the side effects?"

"With doses this small, there won't be any. Like I said, just standard procedure."

At that time, an orderly came in carrying two trays. "Dr. Martin, Mrs. Martin...breakfast is served."

Cody and Bailey thanked him, and both began eating. Bailey paused.

"This is a lot better than the hospital food I had when I was in here giving birth..."

Cody laughed. "You think this is the same food everyone else gets? And did the hospital bring me food while you were in here?"

Bailey paused and frowned. "They didn't..." She hung her head. "Is this more people trying to kiss up to you?"

Cody nodded. "I would say so..."

Bailey paused. "Cody, about that dream or experience you had?"

"Yeah..."

"Tell me more..."

Cody smiled and told her everything he remembered. And the whole time, Bailey found herself laughing and smiling.

"I got possessed because they went bowling?"

"That's what they told me..."

Bailey laughed again. "So, they're up there guiding us into situations..."

"But its up to us as to what we do with them...They said you and I worked out better than they ever could of imagined..."

Bailey smiled. "Of course we did...We had them and fate on our sides."

Cody smiled back. "Yeah, we did...And the fact that I find you simply irresistible..."

"Thank you, Sweetie. You're pretty hard to resist yourself..." She paused. "Did they say what other things they had planned?"

"I asked, and all they said was 'maybe'. After that, I said I didn't want to know. Maybe I should have asked after all..."

Bailey shook her head. "No, you did the right thing. We didn't know what they had planned for us. If we had, we would have missed out on some of the magic of our journey. And I wouldn't have missed that for anything in the world. If they are planning on something for our kids, let them have their own magic..."

Cody just looked at her. "Okay...Who are you and what have you done with my wife?"

Bailey smiled. "Your wife got a lesson recently that life can be short and to appreciate every moment along the way. She knows now her kids will have their own journeys, and she doesn't want to get in the way of those..."

"Two months..."

"Two months what?"

Cody grinned. "That's how long that will last. By Thanksgiving, you'll be all over them trying to find out what's going on in their lives..."

Bailey just laughed. "Fine. They can have their own lives. I have mine, and I have my husband back. If they want to get into relationships, that's up to them. I already have my feller, and he is mine and all mine."

At that moment, their was a knock at the door, and a very attractive nurse in her early twenties came into the room.

"I'm here to give Dr. Martin his sponge bath..."

Cody grinned, but Bailey just glared at her. "Leave the sponge and water. I know people around here are trying to brown nose him, but if anyone is going to give my husband a sponge bath, its going to be me! Right, Cody?"

Cody was doing his best to keep from laughing out loud. "Whatever you say, Dear..."

__To be Continued...__


	17. A Little Snooping

_Chapter 17_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Once Bailey got rid of the nurse, she proceeded to lock the door behind. Like she said, she was the one to clean Cody up and even shaved him while she was at it. Which was a feat in of itself as Cody was still trying his best not to laugh the entire time. But, unlike the first time she had shaved him when they were younger, she managed to do so this time without nicking him once. And she was pretty proud of herself for being able to do that. Of course, as she was giving him a sponge bath, she was even happier when she discovered the effect she still had on her husband and that at least one part of his body seemed to work just fine without any side effects.

Once she was done, Cody just smiled at her. "I rather enjoyed that. Next time, I get to return the favor..."

Bailey just shook her head and smiled. "We'll see. I didn't see you about to turn her away though..."

Cody shrugged. "Its part of her job. Bails, that kind of thing happens hundreds of times a day around here..." He grinned. "My patients don't clean themselves with their tongues..."

Bailey had to laugh at that. "Okay, good point. I hope who ever hired here didn't do so for her looks though..."

Cody shook his head. "Nope...that's not why I hired her." He grinned again. "Of course, having her father be Dr. Kimball up in surgery didn't hurt her chances though. Plus, she is a LPN working on her RN with night classes over at UMass Boston."

Bailey just gave him a look. "Fine...But, I'm the only one who gets to do that from now one, understand?"

Cody laughed and nodded, but something crossed his mind and he stopped. "You know what's weird?"

"What's that?"

"I would have figured that the police would have been by here by now to talk to me. I wouldn't be any help to them, but I figured they would at least come to get my statement..."

Bailey paused wondering if she should tell him what had happened. But Cody was able to read her face, and he knew she knew something.

"Alright, Bails...Spill what you know."

She sighed. "The reason they haven't come by yet is because they already have one of the suspects in custody with a full confession..."

Cody just looked at her incredulously. "Are you serious? Was it one of our usual gallery of rogues?"

Bailey shook her head. "No, it wasn't. Well, not really. Unfortunately, your shooting was directly tied to everything that went on at Tipton Industries. Turns out, the people responsible for stealing from the company and trying to poison Wilfred were also responsible for the attempt on your life..."

Cody sat there taking that in. "Bails, I would have told you about Wilfred, but..."

She smiled and cut him off. "I know. Doctor-Patient confidentiality plus he told me he told you to keep your mouth shut."

"So, they shot me because I found out that they were poisoning Wilfred?"

Bailey paused again. "Partly. Wilfred also thinks they did it in part to find a way to shut me up and prevent me from exposing what they were doing...I'm so sorry you got shot because of something I did..."

Cody grabbed her hand and smiled at her. "It wasn't your fault. Besides, you were doing the right thing. Do you have any idea how proud of you I am for what you did? You knew something not right was happening, and you did what you could to stop it. You have nothing to be sorry about in the least."

Bailey smiled at him again. "Thank you, Codykins. Anyways, the person in custody is Arthur, one of the two owners of Big A I was telling you about..." Bailey looked at him to see if he remembered that.

Cody paused to think. "Big A?" He stopped to thing and then groaned. "The other guy who owned it was that Harrison guy who we thought may have threatened you..."

Bailey nodded in relief. "You remember!"

"Why wouldn't I remember?"

"Well, the doctors thought you might have some brain damage or memory loss..."

Cody smiled. "Trust me, my mind is working as clear as ever. Now, back to what we were talking about. Was Harrison the other guy responsible?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah."

"Is he in jail now too?"

Bailey shook her head. "No. He's...well...Mr. Tipton said he's disappeared..."

Cody just looked at her. "Disappeared as in on the run or disappeared as in...living with goats?"

"Probably closer to the latter..."

Cody just sat there and let that sink in. "Well...I guess that saves me the call to our contacts to have something done..."

"I was a step ahead of you. Before Wilfred told me about Harrison's...status, I was about to call them in to. But, I was going to tell them to save a piece for me..."

Cody smiled. "Well, they just learned a lesson I learned a long time ago..."

"What's that?"

Cody laughed. "Never make you angry..."

Bailey just shook her head. "Well, that's something you won't have to worry about again. Just thinking how close I came to losing you, I don't want to waste whatever time we have left being mad at you over something stupid and inconsequential..."

"Bails...That's the last thing I want. I want you to be you. I want you to be the hard headed, stubborn woman I fell in love with all those years ago. The one who will call me out when I'm being stupid. The one who constantly challenges me. I love that you do that." He grinned. "Besides, when we do argue, it always leads to us making up, and I don't know about you, but I love making up with you..."

Bailey laughed. "Yeah, I quite enjoy it too..."

"You remember that one time when..." But before Cody could finish, the door to his room opened, and Carey walked inside. She could see Cody was awake and looked a whole lot better than he did last night. She smiled at him.

"You're looking a whole lot better, Cody. I didn't mean to interrupt thought. What were you two talking about?"

Cody looked and Bailey and both paused. "Umm...Nothing important, Mom."

Carey shrugged. "Okay...So, how are you feeling? I see you're in a private room now..."

Cody smiled. "Other than being sore and stiff all over and still feeling worn out, I feel okay. And I was moved down here early this morning. Of course, the hospital is going all out to try to impress me and curry my favor. Well...as much as my wife will allow them to..."

Carey turned to Bailey and smiled. "What did you put a stop to?"

Bailey shrugged. "I just refused to let an attractive nurse in her twenties give my husband a sponge bath. If that was wrong of me, oh well..."

Carey laughed. "Don't blame you there...I would do the same with Arwin..."

Cody shook his head. "Speaking of Arwin, Grandpa highly approves of him..."

Carey frowned. "You still think that dream was real?"

Bailey spoke up. "Cody says he thinks its real, and I believe him. Besides him knowing what my Grandpa used to call me, I think they were all looking out for him..."

Carey sighed. "If you say so..." She paused. "Who all did you see?"

Cody smiled. "Grandma, Grandpa, Bailey's Grandpa Andy, several of her relatives she's told me stories about..." He turned to Bailey. "Oh yeah...You're cousin who had a few fingers bitten off by that alligator has them back now."

Bailey laughed. "Good."

"And I saw Uncle Tommy and Mitch again. Oh, and I met Cassie's parents. They had a few messages they wanted me to pass along to her and Zack. Her Dad was the one who gave me the warning for Zack about the BC hockey coach..."

Speaking of which, over in Chestnut Hill, Zack was busy at work at his desk. Getting to a stopping point, he pressed the intercom button on his phone.

"Mrs. Potts, I need to see you when you get a chance."

A few minutes later, his secretary walked into his office and smirked at him. "You rang?" She paused and wiped the smirk off of her face. "I heard what happened to your brother. I hope he is okay..."

Zack smiled. "Actually, he woke up out of his coma late last night. But he said something to me that got me to thinking. Tell me what you know about our men's hockey program."

"Well, Coach Kilmer has been here for about ten years. In that time, he's won two NCAA Championships. Outside of football and basketball, hockey is one of our most profitable programs. Regularly, its in the black. To be honest, several people thought Coach Kilmer would get your job, but the board of regents went a different direction. But he's still one of the most popular coaches on campus."

Zack nodded. "Alright...Has there ever been any problems with the hockey program?"

Mrs. Potts shook her head. "Not that I recall. He's actually like you and doesn't like boosters to get too close. He doesn't like anyone to get too close to his program. Besides, you know how the NCAA works."

"Yeah, they don't look at the minor sports unless there is something blatant or they look around while investigating basketball and football. And neither one of those has been under any investigation." He paused. "Which compliance officer reviews the hockey program?"

"You would have to ask that department." She smirked again. "Remember, you are the one who basically tore it down and rebuilt it back. Besides, no one over there talks with anyone outside the department except for you."

Zack grinned. "Good. Just the way I wanted it." He paused again. "You know, the hockey season is starting up again soon. Maybe...maybe as the athletic director, I should go visit them to show them that they have the department's full support..."

Zack left his office, and walked over to the hockey practice facility. Once inside, he could see Coach Kilmer conducting a practice out on the ice. So, while they were busy, he slipped down into the locker room area. His plan was to 'wait' in the coaches office to talk to him...and maybe do a little snooping while he was there. But before he did that, he gave the rest of the locker room a quick once over. And, nothing really stood out to him.

He walked into the training room, and looked around. And there were all kinds of bottles of medications all over the place. Of course, he had no idea what he was looking at. Looking into the trash can, he saw two empty little bottles. Forming an idea, he grabbed a couple of paper towels, wrapped up the bottles and stuck them in his pocket.

"What are you doing in here?"

Zack turned around and saw a pretty big guy standing in the door way.

"No one but authorized personnel allowed in here!"

Zack smiled. "I think that would include the athletic director, right? I'm Zack Martin..said AD."

The guy paused. "While that may be, Coach Kilmer doesn't want anyone in his locker room while he's not in here. If you need to speak to him, call and make an appointment."

Zack kept smiling. "I'll do just that...I have somewhere else I need to be anyways. By the way, if no one is supposed to be in here, doesn't that include you?"

"I'm Henri Palmer. I was on scholarship my first three years until a knee injury forced me to give up the game. Coach Kilmer kept me on as a student manager. Next season, I'll be a graduate assistant."

Zack nodded. "Nice to meet you, Henri. I'll be leaving now."

And Zack left. But he didn't return back to his office. He needed some answers, and there was only one person he trusted who could give them to him. So, thirty minutes later, he walked into room 1225 of Massachusetts General Hospital.

"Codester! How are you feeling?"

Cody smiled back. "Better..."

"Good." Zack paused and turned to Bailey and his mother. "Could you two give me a minute alone with my brother? I need to ask him a medical question...you know, about guy's stuff..."

Carey and Bailey both laughed but stepped out in the hallway.

Cody just looked at his brother. "Zack, if you drop your pants, I'm not going to look at something on your butt..."

Zack rolled his eyes. "No, nothing like that. I need your medical expertise..." He pulled out the two bottles of his pocket and handed them to Cody. "I need to know what these are."

Cody looked at the bottles, and his eyes went open in surprise. "Where did you get these?"

"In a trash can in the BC hockey training room..."

Cody paused. "This might not be good..."

"What are they?"

Cody held up one of the bottles. "This first one is somatropin..."

"And that is?"

"I believe you know it by its more popular name...HGH or Human Growth Hormone..."

Zack shook his head. "That's not good..."

Cody held up the other bottle, and reached for the empty bottle on his bed side table. "You see how these two bottles are the same?"

Zack nodded. Cody continued. "I'm on this to help the damage to the muscle in my chest heal quicker."

Zack looked at the bottle again. "What is methandrostenolone exactly?"

Cody paused. "Its an anabolic steroid..."

Zack sat back and sighed. "This is really not good...Whoever you talked to up there, I think knew what he was talking about... "

__To be Continued...__


	18. The Honor Code

_Chapter 18_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Zack just sat there shaking his head. He knew Cody had warned him about keeping an eye on the hockey coach, but a problem with illegal substances would be very bad. BC would take a huge hit if this ever came out. And the hockey national title it had won last year? More than likely stripped. Oh, and the NCAA will definitely be setting up shop on campus and going through everything. Zack's only hope would be to take care of this internally and keep everything quiet.

"Zack?"

He turned and looked at his brother. "Yeah?"

"Before you do anything rash, remember both HGH and steroids can be used for legitimate medical purposes. I mean, I'm on them to speed up healing. Don't act like a bull in a china shop here. You have to be careful how you handle this."

Zack sighed. "Things were so much easier with the Red Sox. Those new tests could detect anything. And with the punishment system in place, most players cleared taking NyQuil with the team before they did it..."

Cody laughed. "I know. Unfortunately, those tests are expensive and only the pro leagues can afford them. The NCAA is...well, its supposed to be a non-profit organization..."

Zack rolled his eyes. "Please..."

"I know, but the point is with so many student athletes, they can't afford or have the resources to handle drug testing in the highest level."

"So, what do I do?"

Cody grinned. "I wish I could tell you, but you'll figure something out. But remember, you are in a unique position at BC compared to most schools..."

"What do you mean?"

"BC is a private school...not a public one. It can set its own rules for its students and by extension, student athletes and have its own honor code. You remember our senior year of high school when that basketball player at BYU got kicked off the team?"

Zack paused and thought. "Yeah..." His eyes went wide and he smiled. "Codester, you've given me a great idea! I need to get back to the office..."

"Zack, you realize if you create a new honor code, it can't cover anything in the past, right?"

Zack kept grinning. "There's already one in place. I need to go find out what it says exactly..."

Cody shrugged. "Oh...okay. Before you leave though, I need to tell you something."

"What?"

"I wanted to tell you who asked me to give you that warning in the first place."

"Who?"

Cody smiled. "Your in-laws..."

Zack gave him a look of confusion. "My in-laws?" He paused. "Wait a minute! Cassie's parents?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah. Hank and Elizabeth are both very proud of you and Cassie and your kids. They said they were a little worried about you at first, but you won them over a long time ago."

Zack smiled. "That's good to know..."

"Now, do you think I should tell Cassie about this? I know whenever someone would bring them up, she would always get a sad, faraway look on her face..."

Zack paused to consider that. "I think you should. I already told her about what happened to you, so she does think you really experienced that."

Cody nodded. "Alright. Well, I wish you luck with what you're going to do..."

"Well, you keep here lounging on you butt and doing nothing." He grinned. "Glad to have you back with us again..."

Once Zack left, Carey and Bailey returned back inside Cody's room. And for the rest of the morning, Cody had even more visitors. At one point or another, London, his in-laws, his father and stepmother all stopped by to see how he was feeling. Beyond that, a doctor would stop my and check on him from time to time to monitor how he was doing. And after another above average lunch, Cody was worn out again and took a nap.

Back at his office, Zack immediately pulled out his copy of the BC Honor Code and reviewed it. And when he got to section 12(b)(6), he grinned.

_All student athletes at Boston College agree to live up to the highest level of sportmanship. And in so doing, they agree to all restrictions and regulations as set forth by the NCAA, the conference and the school's athletic department._

Zack grinned. "And I think the athletic department has a new regulation to implement..."

Keeping it on the down low, he immediately placed a phone call to an old friend who still worked with the Red Sox. And this guy owed him a huge favor as Zack was the one who introduced him to his wife at a Red Sox function. Well, Zack did some arm twisting, but his friend agreed to show up on Friday afternoon at the practice facility to administer the same drug tests the Red Sox had to endure. Once Zack hung up the phone, he propped his feet up on to his deck and smiled.

At that time, the door to his office opened and Coach Kilmer walked right up to his desk.

"Mr. Martin, I understand you stopped my our locker room this morning looking for me. What can I do for you?"

Zack kept smiling. "Ahh, yes. I just got some information pertinent to men's hockey from the NCAA this morning. I was just going to fax it over, but I decided I wanted to show my support for the team and was going to deliver it in person. You know, a show of support from the department."

Coach Kilmer just looked at him. "Well, I appreciate the gesture, but I'll just take it now and distribute it to my team."

Zack shook his head. "Actually, I was hoping to do it in person. I want to be seen as a hands on on AD around here and really get to know the student athletes. Tell you what...my schedule is pretty busy with work around here and making sure my brother is okay from the attack on him. Why don't we schedule a time on..." Zack looked down at his desk calendar. "...say Friday for me to talk to and get to know the team. How does that sound?"

Coach Kilmer paused. "I suppose that would be alright. Our afternoon practice ends at four."

"I'll be there..."

Back at Mass General, it was past three o'clock and Cody was awake from his nap. And at that moment, Todd walked into his room looking absolutely exhausted.

Cody laughed. "You look worse than I do..."

Todd gave a week laugh. "The sharks smell new blood in the water. While you temporarily incapacitated, they're all kissing my butt right now..."

Bailey shook her head and laughed. "They're still doing the same thing here. We've been dining on gourmet meals, and then sent a bombshell up to give Cody a sponge bath..."

Cody just smiled. "My wife politely declined that and showed her the door..."

Todd laughed. "I can only imagine what mine would do...Anyways, I have some news for you from the board. I guess they are fearing a lawsuit because you were attacked on hospital grounds during work hours, so they wanted me to pass along an offer to you..."

"Okay..."

"Your stay he will be comped and won't be necessary to turn into your insurance. All follow up treatment will be included as well. Further, once released, they want you to take as much time as you need to rest and recuperate. And that with your normal pay and no need to take any time you have accrued."

Cody shrugged. "Seems okay to me..."

Todd gave him a pleading look. "But on a personal note, the sooner you're back, the better. I'm not ready to be chief!"

Cody laughed. "Well, I..."

But before he could say anything, Bailey cut him off. "He'll be back when I'm satisfied that he's ready to return and not a moment sooner. He may be the 'Chief' around here, he has a far more important role at home. We need him up and about more than the hospital does!"

Cody shrugged. "Sorry, Man...My wife has spoken."

Todd laughed. "No problem. I'm sure if it was the other way around, London would say the same thing...along with a threat of some sort..."

"I would expect nothing less."

About an hour later, the door to his room opened again, and Cassie stuck her head in the door. Seeing Cody sitting up and and talking to Bailey, she smiled.

"Good to see you again, Bro..."

Cody smiled. "Good to be back."

"Well, I have a couple of kids out here who can't wait to see their Dad, so let me get them for you."

"Before you do, there is something I need to tell you first, Sis..."

Cassie paused and came inside the room. "What's up?"

Cody smiled again. "I understand Zack told you about my little journey..."

Cassie laughed. "He did. I thought it was a little out there, but he reminded me of what happened to us our senior year. So, if you say it happened, I've seen enough things to know its possible."

"I appreciate that. But, while I was there, I ran into a couple of people who had a message specifically for you."

"Me? Who?"

Cody paused. "Your parents...They actually were brought to see me..."

Cassie just looked at him and swallowed. "You saw them? How...how did they look?"

Cody smiled. "They looked amazing. I can definitely see that you are your mother's daughter. They wanted you to know how proud of you they were."

"Really?"

"Really. They told me they were constantly watching over you and Zack and the kids." Cody laughed. "The funny thing is your Dad said Brady reminded him so much of himself as a kid. I thought he got that from Zack..."

Cassie had to laugh at that. "So did I..."

"Of course, my first thought was poor Moseby, and Grandma indicated that was a true statement. But, your parents wanted me to tell you that they love you and are constantly watching over you. And if they are like everyone else up there, they're probably getting in on the matchmaking game..."

Cassie just looked at him. "What game?"

Bailey answered that one. "Seems one of their hobbies up there is pushing together people they think would get along with each other and seeing what happens. Cody told me his Grandpa said he was two for two with Cody and I and you and Zack..."

Cassie laughed. "Huh...Well, I'm glad they were pulling our puppet strings. I appreciate you telling me Cody. Thank you. Now, I have a couple of anxious eleven year olds out there wanting to see you. I should let them in..."

She headed out the door, and almost immediately, in ran Ben and Annie. Immediately, Cody smiled when he saw them. "You know, I knew there were two people I hadn't seen yet..."

"Daddy!" Annie ran over to the side of his bed to get a hug from Cody.

Cody laughed. "Not too tight, Princess. Daddy's chest is still sore."

Annie pulled back and smiled. "I'm just glad to be able to get a hug again."

Cody turned to Ben. "And how are you, young man? You been keeping everyone in line at home?"

Ben smiled and nodded. "I'm trying. Grandpa says he wants to take me on the road with him. Something about getting me to cook for him..."

Cody laughed. "Tell him that school is your first priority right now."

"Actually, there are others at the house who wanted to come see you too, but we had to tell them the hospital wouldn't let them inside..."

Bailey frowned. "Who?"

Annie grinned. "Moxie and Roxie. They miss Daddy...They just walk around looking lost...well, when they aren't sleeping. They just keep looking up at us and meowing in confusion..."

Cody grinned. "Tell them I miss them too."

But Bailey just shook her head. "Of course...your minions are without their fearless leader..."

Cody teased her. "Bails, if they both try to lick me when I get home, are you going to get mad and throw them out too?"

__To be Continued...__


	19. Getting to Go Home

_Chapter 19_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so...

The next few days all passed by pretty much the same way. Bailey still stayed with Cody 24/7 while everyone else went on with their lives. Annie and Ben visited him ever afternoon after school before going back home to do their homework. Carey would usually come and spend the mornings and early afternoons with him while the rest of their friends and family would make appearances throughout the day. As for Cody himself, the hospital staff still tried to gain his favor. But, they did quickly learn not to get on Bailey's bad side. From Tuesday morning on, a male orderly would drop off the sponge and water for Bailey to handle the spongebaths herself. And the doctors continued to check on Cody periodically to update how he was doing. On Wednesday, he was finally allowed to get out of bed and walk around the floor a little bit. And everyday, Cody would tell Bailey to go home and get a good night's sleep in their bed. But everyday, Bailey would adamantly refuse and reiterated that she wasn't going home until she was taking Cody with her..

On Thursday morning, Cody was lying down once again, and he was more than ready to get out of his hospital bed. Bailey just smiled at him.

"Take it easy, Cody. You of all people know that if a patient cooperates, he will heal quicker..."

Cody sighed. "I know, but I'm just ready to get out of here and back to my life. I feel like a museum exhibit that people stop by periodically to look at..."

"Well, how does your chest feel today?"

Cody paused. "Still sore, but not as bad as it was..."

Bailey patted his hand. "Well, be patient. Good things come to those who wait..."

Cody just looked at her. "Bails, I've heard you say the exact same thing to the kids before when they used to talk about their Christmas lists..."

Bailey laughed. "Well, it did work on them..."

"I know, but I just feel so useless lying here..."

"I remember that feeling all too well when I broke my ankle. In fact, I told my Mom that exact same thing. But, I realized I couldn't take care of myself. At the same time, I both loved and hated that I had you waiting on me hand and foot. But, I had to remind myself that I needed time to heal. And with your help, I did. So, I'm going to do the same thing for you."

Cody smiled. "I remember." He laughed. "You still glare at me when I ask you what kind of mustard you want..."

Bailey laughed again. "Because you still like to tease me about it..."

"True...But, I also remember something else you said that I want to make sure is true now as well..."

"What's that?"

"You said and I quote...'From now on, we let Bailey do what she can, and in return, Bailey promises Cody she will ask him for his help when she needs it...'. I expect the same deal when I finally get out of here."

Bailey just shook her head. "Sometimes I really hate that you have a photographic memory. Alright, I will try to go along with that...assuming your doctor is okay with that. Agreed?"

Cody nodded. "Agreed."

Bailey smiled. "That's another thing. No trying to treat yourself at home. When you return to work here whenever that is, you can resume being Dr. Martin. Until that time, you are just Cody Martin, beloved husband, father and recovering patient."

Cody laughed. "Fine."

About that time, Cody's doctor entered his room and began checking all of the monitors and readouts. He nodded and turned to Cody and Bailey.

"Time to check him out again. If...and its a big if...I'm satisfied with what I see, I'll think about releasing him to go home this afternoon..."

Bailey grinned. "Well, then...I'll just be right out in the hallway with my fingers crossed."

The doctor proceeded to give Cody a thorough examination. And he checked everything. He examined his blood pressure, his heart rate, his reflexes and then extensively examined the wound. When he was done, he opened the door and invited Bailey back inside. He stood there examining Cody's chart while both Cody and Bailey looked on in eager anticipation. Finally, the doctor looked up and smiled.

"Alright...I'm satisfied enough to let you go home today, Dr. Martin. BUT...I do have several conditions that if you won't agree to, you're not going anywhere!"

Bailey nodded. "Consider them done..."

The doctor smiled. "You're a veterinarian yourself, Mrs. Martin, correct?"

"Yes, I am..."

"This will make things much easier then. You're already familiar with changing a dressing and giving an injection." He grinned. "This time, you won't have to worry that you're patient will bite you..."

Cody laughed. "Don't assume anything, Dr. Dorian..."

"That's between the two of you."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Please ignore my husband, I think he has hospital room fever and can't wait to get out of here. Just tell me what you need me to do." She reached into her purse and pulled out a little notebook and a pen.

"I want his dressing changed every four to six hours. Before he goes to sleep and when he wakes up is fine though. When you do, I want you to apply antiseptic and thorough clean his wound with iodine. I'm not ready to take his stitches out yet, but I know you know all about dealing with them. Beyond that, I'm sending you a weeks worth of antibiotics in syringes as well as more steroids. I want you to inject him once a day with both. In another week, I'll see him again and we'll go from there. Beyond that, I want him to keep getting as much rest as possible. I don't want him to overextend himself or do anything to risk popping one of his stitches. And I'll prescribe him some mild painkillers too in case he needs them."

Bailey was writing everything down and then looked up. "What about his diet? Do we need to make any changes to it?"

Dr. Dorian paused. "Not really, other than being shot, Dr. Martin was completely healthy. So, stick with what his diet was. I would avoid anything that could give him heartburn though."

Cody sighed. "I am right here, and I already know all of this..."

Dr. Dorian laughed. "I feel sorry for you, Mrs. Martin. Doctors make the worst patients..."

Bailey grinned. "I already knew that. But from the the other alternative I was facing on Friday night, I'll gladly take this with no complaints."

"Well, I'll go get the paperwork started for the release. It will take a few hours for everything to get processed..." He turned to Cody. "If you want, I can have some of your scrubs brought up here for you to go home in..."

Cody shook his head. "Not necessary. I always keep an emergency change of clothes in my office in case I need them. I'll just need to get them up here."

Bailey smiled. "I'll get them myself."

The doctor nodded and made his exit. Bailey turned and found Cody sitting there smiling.

"Codykins, you're going home!"

"I know. I can't wait. Getting to sleep in our bed. Eating meals at our table. Being able to use our own bathroom..." He started laughing. "So many little things that I never really thought about before..."

"I know. I realized the same thing when I dared thinking about not having you with me anymore. So many things I love doing that seem so silly. You know, like watching you shave in the mornings. Or making dinner with you. Or just sitting next to you on the couch while we both read our books." She shivered. "Okay, here's the deal. We both promise the other that we don't have to go through anything like this for a long, long time. Okay?"

Cody nodded. "Okay." He took her hand. "I don't know what I'd ever do without you either. I think if something did happen to you, I wouldn't last much longer and follow after you shortly from a broken heart..."

Cody and Bailey enjoyed one more 'gourmet' lunch at the hospital before it was time to prepare him to go home. Even though he was pretty sure he could do it himself, Cody did let Bailey help get him dressed back into his regular clothes. And he was more than happy not to be wearing a hospital gown any longer. He never realized just how drafty they really were.

About three o'clock, the doctor showed up with his release papers. And while he did that, someone from the hospital's valet parking came up to get Cody's car keys to pull his SUV around front. Bailey's minivan had been picked up and taken back to the house by Kurt and Joe earlier in the week. Cody signed off on the release paper, and Dr. Dorian gave Bailey a bag with everything Cody would need for the next week. An orderly showed up with a wheelchair, and Cody just shook his head. He knew it was hospital policy, and the sooner he cooperated, the sooner he would go home.

He was helped into the wheelchair, and the orderly helped take him out of his room. The entire way down to the car, hospital staff members stopped him and congratulated him on his release. Finally, they got to the entrance and Cody was helped into the passenger seat. Once Bailey stowed their things in the back, she climbed into the driver's seat.

Cody looked over and grinned. "I guess it took me getting shot for you to finally get to drive this thing, huh?"

Bailey grinned back. "And when I take it on the interstate, it might go faster than seventy for the first time ever..."

Cody just laughed. "That's fine. That means the sooner I will get home. But, if you get pulled over, don't blame me..."

Thirty minutes later, they were finally home, and Bailey pulled into the garage. But before she could do anything, Cody had unbuckled his seat belt and was already getting out of the car. He was moving slowly, but he was finally free to move on his own. And when he opened the door, he was shocked.

"SURPRISE!"

Cody looked around and grinned. All of his family and friends including his youngest children were there with streamers and balloons up welcoming him home. He turned around and found Bailey just smiling at him.

"Thanks everybody. Its good to be home."

Everyone shook his hand or patted him on the back. Of course, immediately, Bailey made him sit down so he could be resting. But Cody didn't care. It just felt good to be back around the people he cared about again without it being in the hospital. And it was more than just the humans who were there to see him. Sammy and Arnie were there to welcome him home as well. And Moxie and Roxie? The immediately jumped up into his lap as he sat there and began licking him again.

Cody just laughed and looked over at Bailey. "Well?"

She just shook her head and smiled. "I can handle them. Those two and I have an understanding. They know you're mine and I don't hide their catnip..."

Eventually, everyone had to be getting back home, and soon it was just Cody, Bailey, Annie, Ben and the animals. And Ben smiled at his Dad.

"Don't worry about dinner. I already have it in the crock pot cooking. It should be done in a couple of hours. Until then, Annie and I are going to go upstairs and do our homework." With that, Ben and Annie headed upstairs.

Cody just watched them run off. "Okay, who was that? That didn't sound like my youngest son..."

Bailey laughed. "They're just trying to make things easier on you. I'm sure in a while, things will get back to normal."

Cody nodded. "Normal...If I ever complain about things being normal, smack me..."

"Only if you will do the same for me. Cody, I love our life. I wouldn't change a thing."

He smiled at her. "Me either. And knowing now that even death will not do us part makes me happier than I could ever say..."

"I know what you mean. We'll get to spend all of eternity together..."

Cody smiled again. "And for all eternity, I'll still be chasing you around..."

Bailey smiled back. "And for all eternity, I'll let you..."

He paused. "Think it will be us playing matchmaker for our grandchildren and great grandchildren someday?"

"Maybe. I hope will be as successful as our grandparents were..."

"Me too..." He grinned. "And if someone isn't good enough for our descendants, we'll haunt them!"

Bailey just shook her head and kissed his cheek. "Well see..."

"It'll be like A Nightmare on Martin Street!"

Bailey sighed. "That was bad..." She smiled. "So good to have you home, Codykins."

__To be Continued...__


	20. Trouble for the Twins

_Chapter 20_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

On Friday morning in Boston, Cody woke up and felt better than he had in a week. Of course, that was to be expected as it had been a week since he had been shot. But, finally being back in his own bed seemed to make everything better. His chest was still sore, but it was definitely tolerable. Looking over at the alarm clock, he saw it was a little past six in the morning. Even though he was supposed to be resting, his children were due to be up soon as they had to go to school. He turned and saw Bailey was still sleeping peacefully. He smiled. She needed her rest. That chair in his hospital room couldn't have been comfortable, so she was probably enjoying being back in their bed too. But, the kids had to be fed, so as gently as he could, he slipped out of bed and headed downstairs. And as soon as he began moving around the kitchen, he had company.

He was cooking some eggs and turkey bacon when he felt something familiar. Looking down, Moxie and Roxie were doing their figure eight thing through his legs again. He couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning, Ladies. I see you two really did miss me."

He just shook his head and continued cooking. At about 6:45, he had finished cooking everything he needed, and he was filling plates and setting them around the breakfast bar. A few minutes later, Ben and Annie came downstairs with their backpacks slung over their shoulders. And both were surprised to see their Dad standing there.

"Daddy? What are you doing up?"

Cody smiled. "Well, you two needed breakfast, and I usually do that, right?"

Ben paused. "But aren't you supposed to be resting and taking it easy?"

"I am. Cooking always relaxes me."

Annie laughed. "Uh huh. I don't think Mom's going to be very happy at all. She'll probably flip out when she wakes up and finds out you're not there next to her..."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Oh please. You're Mom will understand. Its not like I'm an invalid. Both of my arms and my legs work, so its not like I'm confined to the bed..."

"If you say so, but I'll bet five bucks Mom freaks out..."

Cody shook his head. "Anyways, how is school going for you both? Are you enjoying the sixth grade so far?"

Ben grinned. "Yeah. All the guys are already ticked at me because the girls are flocking to me because of Home Ec..."

"Just don't let it go to your head. And be careful. I had to learn the hard way that girls seem to congregate around a guy who can cook. I didn't notice it, but your Mom did, and she wasn't happy about it all." He smiled. "She even got into a food fight because of it..."

Annie laughed. "No way!"

"Way. And it was an ego boost to know they were flirting with me, but other than that, it didn't matter. Your Mom was, still is and always will be the only woman I notice. So, remember how fun cooking is and not what it can do for you."

Upstairs, in Cody and Bailey's bedroom, Bailey stretched and let herself slowly begin to wake up. She reached over for Cody but found the other side of the bed empty. The sheet was still warm, so he had been there recently. But she looked around and couldn't find him anywhere. She then stopped and realized she smelled something. Breakfast. She frowned.

"CODY!"

Downstairs, Cody was standing there talking to his kids when all of them heard his name being bellowed. Annie and Ben looked at each other.

"Did you hear that? I think that was Aunt Cassie blowing her car horn..." Both got up and grabbed their backpacks. "Gotta go...Bye, Dad..."

As they were leaving, Bailey came marching down the stairs. Ben and Annie looked at her and noticed she didn't look happy at all. "Bye, Mom..." Annie turned to her Dad. "Good luck..." Both scurried off and out the front door.

Cody looked over at Bailey and saw her glaring at him. He swallowed and smiled. "Hey, Honey...Breakfast?"

Bailey stomped off over towards him. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Fixing the breakfast for everyone?"

Bailey shook her head. "You're supposed to be resting and taking it easy, remember? Why didn't you wake me up, and I would have done it?"

Cody smiled again. "Because you looked so peaceful, and I knew you needed your rest too. Besides, cooking helps me relax. You know that."

Bailey just glared at him again. She was about to say something when she held her tongue. "Fine. But once we've eaten, we're taking you upstairs, getting you cleaned up and your dressing changed, and then you're going right back to bed. Understand me?"

Cody paused. "I understand you, but I won't do it..."

Bailey's eyes went wide. "Excuse me?"

"Bails...I'll get cleaned up and let you change my dressings. But, I'm not going back to bed. I was confined in a bed for almost a week. I will rest and take it easy, but not in bed. If you want me to sit on the couch, fine. But my muscles have been inactive for over a week. I do need to be moving around to get them loose again."

Bailey just stared at him again, but ended up shaking her head and sighed. "I'm just trying to take care of you..."

Cody smiled. "I know. And I know I have a history of being a terrible patient. But, you also know me better than anyone...including myself. You saw how crazy I was getting laying in that bed all day and not being able to do anything. I'm just asking you to let me be a little bit active. You know I need to feel like I'm being productive...please don't take that away from me. Anything else you ask of me, you'll know I'll do willingly."

Bailey just looked at him. "Alright...fine. I won't confine you to bed. But if I tell you no about something else, will you listen to me?"

Cody grinned. "Don't I always?"

Bailey had to laugh. "Usually..." She paused. "I just want you back to the way you were this time last week..."

"And I will be...And there is no one I'd rather have here with me helping me get back to that than you. I'll really try to be a good patient this time."

Bailey smiled. "And I'll try to be a better nurse...Now, lets go get you cleaned up."

Cody grinned. "Sponge bath time?"

Bailey grinned back. "A loofah will have to do..."

Cody grabbed her hand. "Good enough, but I'm finally returning the favor..."

An hour later, both were cleaned up and in much better moods. Cody's dressing had been changed, and Bailey had injected him with another dose of antibiotics and steroids. It was not yet 8:30 in the morning, and both just looked at each other again.

"Its a weekday morning...What do we do? I'm used to being working by now."

Bailey shook her head. "I don't know. And I remember from college that daytime TV never appealed to us..."

Cody nodded. "I remember...And I doubt you'll let me do yard work or clean the house..."

Bailey laughed. "You got that right..."

Cody just gave her a look and grinned. "And you'd probably say no to another idea of mine too..."

Bailey grinned back. "You're right...but not because I don't want to. Once the doctor checks you out next week, try to keep me away from you..." She paused. "And I mean that. When you were in the hospital and I didn't know what was going to happen, I kept thinking back to that night in Springfield. I wanted to kick myself for saying I was too tired. That could have been the last time we could have..." She stopped and got choked up.

Cody pulled her into a hug. "But its not. You've got me around for a long, long time. We'll have plenty of opportunities, and I look forward to each and every one of them..."

Bailey looked up at him. "Me too..."

Cody smiled. "I have an idea though of what we can do..."

"Name it..."

"Why don't we get online and start working on our trip back to Hawaii next year? And when we're done, we can start looking at a place to retire too somewhere warm. We have plenty of time to find just the right place for us and find out exactly what we want..."

Bailey smiled. "I love it...and I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled. "And maybe later we can do something we haven't done since college. We'll go out for a long lunch and then hit the bookstore and see if there is anything that interests us..."

Bailey grinned. "Sounds perfect to me..."

And that's what they did. By the time their morning was over, they had a lot of information about everything they were looking for. And they had found a great deal on a three bedroom suite in an all inclusive resort for the week of their anniversary the next summer. With that done, they decided to go out and have long, leisurely lunch.

Across town, Zack was making his way over to the hockey training facility. He couldn't help but be a little nervous. That afternoon was the day his plan finally went into action. Once inside the rink, he noticed the team was still practicing. And while he was watching, someone walked up to him pulling along a bag.

"You ready for this, Zack?"

Zack turned and grinned. "You bet, Jack."

"I sure hope so. If I find anything, BC could be in a whole lot of trouble..."

Zack nodded. "I know, but better to nip this in bud now then let it blow up in our faces later on. Come on, I'll lead you down to the locker room. By the way, how's the wife?"

When the team finished their practice, they all entered the locker room, and they noticed the school's athletic director and another guy standing there waiting for them. Coach Kilmer saw them too and sighed.

"Guys, listen up!" Once he had everyone's attention. "This is the Athletic Director, Zack Martin, and this other gentleman is..." He paused. "I'm sorry, I have no idea who he is..."

Zack smiled. "This is Jack Miller. He is on the training staff of the Boston Red Sox and does some work with the Bruins as well. We're actually here to talk to you about a new athletic department regulation."

Coach Kilmer frowned. "I wasn't told of any new regulation..."

"Because its new. You see, the NCAA has been sending me all kinds of studies they've been conducting where they feel like there's been a recent epidemic of college athletes on performance enhancing drugs. As you've probably heard on ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPN3 or ESPN4 by now, last year's national champion in football at Tennessee is under suspicion of using steroids by their players"

Coach Kilmer sighed. "And this has what to do with us?"

Zack smiled. "I'm glad you asked. I was sitting around my office thinking, and I came up with what I think is a great idea. You see, everyone around the country is thinking college sports is becoming more and more scandalous and tainted. Of course, the NCAA isn't helping matters either. But, this hockey team is the only national champion BC had last year. I thought it would be great publicity for the team and the institution to show that we do things clean here..."

"What are you getting at?"

"Simple. Dr. Miller is highly respected in the sport's world. He's going to administer a drug test for everyone here using the same tests the pros use. We'll show the world just how clean BC is!"

Coach Kilmer's face went red and he frowned. "I don't think so. We only have to do tests when the NCAA says we have to do them. You should know that..."

Zack stared back at him. "Your protest is noted, Coach...But the athletes here really don't have a choice. According to the school honor code, they have to abide by all Athletic Department regulations, and this is one. Any of them refuse, and I can suspend them and revoke their scholarships. When I told the Board of Trustees my idea, they loved it..." He just glared at Coach Kilmer. "I mean...you don't have anything to hide, do you?"

__To be Continued...__


	21. The Showdown

_Chapter 21_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Coach Kilmer just glared back at Zack. If looks could kill, Zack would have needed the services of a coroner.

"No, Mr. Martin. I have nothing to hide. But I'll be damned if I let you spring a surprise drug test on my players!"

Zack shrugged and grinned. "Why not? The NCAA does it all the time. And if there's nothing to hide, I don't see a problem."

Coach Kilmer continued to stare at Zack before turning to his players. "Boys, don't do a thing until I've made a phone call..." He turned back to Zack. "I'm calling the president of the university." Coach Kilmer stepped into his office and slammed the door behind him.

Through the window into his office, everyone could see him getting very heated while he was on the phone. Zack took the chance to look around the room. About two-thirds of the players had expressions on their faces that they didn't see what the big deal was. But the other third looked like they were scared of something. If they hadn't just gotten done with practice, Zack would have sworn they were sweating the situation.

Coach Kilmer came out of his office. "President Griffith said he'd be here in fifteen minutes."

Zack shrugged again. "Doesn't really matter. I have the support of the Board of Trustees on this..."

So, for the next fifteen minutes, everyone just stood around staring at each other. Finally, a short, balding man in a suit walked into the locker room quickly.

"Mr. Martin, what is going on here?"

Zack smiled. "An idea I had that the Board of Trustees absolutely loved. With the current environment in college sports, we all thought this would be a good way of showing that BC does things the right way. I mean, you don't have a problem with that do you? Not that you have to explain anything to me, but I'm sure the board will have some serious questions..."

The school's president just looked at Zack silently. "Well, if you put it like that, I guess I don't really have a problem with it..."

Coach Kilmer exploded. "What? This is completely insane!"

Mr. Griffith sighed. "Such is college sports. Look...this is no big deal. We'll do the tests, they all come back negative, big publicity for the school, end of story."

Zack turned to Jack. "You can get started now..." He pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. "Here is a copy of the most recent roster. Make sure all players on this list take a test."

Jack nodded. "I need a secure room to store all the samples."

"Of course. You can use the training room." He turned to the players. "I know you've done this before, but this is how its going to work. One at a time, you will go in and give a urine sample. Once you've done that, you are free to leave. In fact, you are to leave the premises once you finish. If any of you refuse to cooperate, you will be brought up on charges of violating the honor code and risk forfeiting your scholarships. Now, if any of you have a class you need to be getting to, you can go first..."

And with that, the testing began. Zack stayed in the locker room to observe things himself so that nothing funny happened. Of course, he did notice Coach Kilmer went into his office, slammed the door shut and made another phone call. But this time, he was a lot more calm and collected.

A little over an hour later, all of the players on the roster had submitted samples. Zack waited with Jack until he secured them all in his bag, and then walked him out to his car.

"So, when will you have some answers for me..."

"If I put a rush order on them, I can have them for you this time next week."

Zack nodded. "Do it then."

Jack sighed. "Are you really sure about this? I noticed you looking at the players' faces. I did too. Zack, there are several of those guys who have something to hide. And the coach's outburst was completely over the top. He's hiding something too..."

"I know he is..."

"How can you be so sure?"

Zack shook his head. "You'd never believe me if I told you..."

Meanwhile, not too far away, in one of the areas largest malls, Cody and Bailey were walking out of a Barnes & Noble with two large bags full of books and other things. As they were loading the car, Cody looked over and smiled. And Bailey noticed this.

"What?"

Cody pointed. "When's the last time you and I went and saw a matinee together...just the two of us?"

Bailey paused to think. "On a weekday? Probably back when we were in grad school..."

Cody shook his head. "Then its been far too long..." He grinned. "Besides, what better way for me to relax that sitting and watching a movie in an air conditioned theater?"

Bailey smiled. "Well, I guess so..." She checked her watch. "Yeah, I think we have time. Anything in particular you want to see?"

"Lady's choice."

"Even better..."

So, two hours later, they walked out of the movie theater and headed back for the car.

"You know, Bails, I've really had a lot of fun today. I know we were taking it easy so I can recover, but I've really enjoyed just spending a day doing nothing with you."

She smiled. "Me too."

"How come we don't do this more often then? Has it really been since grad school that we did this?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah, it has..." She smiled again. "But, not long after that, we both began working full time, and soon after that, the kids came. So, we've been kind of busy..."

Cody smiled too. "Yeah, I guess so." He paused. "Is today an indication of what life's going be like when the kids are on their own and we're retired?"

"Maybe so."

He laughed. "Then, I'm going to look into retiring early."

Bailey shook her head. "Uh huh..."

"I mean it. Today reminded me of how it was like before we had our kids. And don't get me wrong, I love our kids more than anything and would do anything for them. But I forgot how much I enjoyed when it was just you and me against the world..."

"Yeah, I loved those times too...but Codykins, it will never be you and me against the world again. Just because the kids lead their own lives, they'll still be our kids. And someday, there will be grandkids..."

Cody rolled his eyes. "I know that. I'm talking about when its only going to be you and me alone under one roof again. That day is only three years away. And we've both been working for fifteen years now. We're over halfway towards retiring. And if I may say so myself, we've invested our money very wisely. So, we're taken care of there too. Plus, we both have retirement plans that will pay us both well once we leave our offices for the final time."

Bailey just smiled at him. "I'm well aware of all of that. But, I have to ask, why the sudden talk today about us retiring. I know you've mentioned it before as something down the road. But today, it seems like you're really focused on it."

Cody sighed. "Lets get in the car first..."

Bailey nodded, and they both got inside. "Alright, lets hear it."

"Well, its like you told me this morning. I've been thinking about things too. One more inch, and I would have already celebrated my last times of experiencing anything and everything in this world"

Bailey shuddered. "Go on..."

"Well, all of that time in the hospital bed, it got me to thinking. I thought about what my Grandpa told me about how he had to wait to be reunited with my Grandma again. Well, I realized I don't have to do that. I'm with the love of my life now. I want to spend as time with you as I can."

Bailey smiled at him. "I know, and I do too. But, Cody, we also have other responsibilities right now."

"I know that, but in the grand scheme of things, my career isn't even on the first page of what's most important to me. Yeah, it pays well and gives me a sense of accomplishment. But, in high school and college, we were both poor, and I was just as happy."

"I was too. In fact some of my happiest memories are from those days."

"Mine too. I just want not to look back one day and have regrets. I meant it when I told my grandparents that I love my life. I do. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world." He paused and shook his head. "I don't know. I guess I got a wake up call on what was really important to me, and I want to spend my time focused on it."

Bailey smiled at him again. "You already do. Cody, whenever our family needs something, you take care of it. Whenever, I need you, you are always there for me too. You do focus on us. We already know our family is number one on your list. I already know I'm tops in your book. I don't want you to change a single thing you do."

"Really?"

"Really. But, in some regards, you are right. I love our live too and wouldn't trade it for anything either. And we do need to learn to appreciate things more. But, we've been given something a lot of people don't – a second chance." She grinned. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to take full opportunity of it."

"Me too."

"And when the time comes and it is just us, nothing will stop us from having more days like this. I guarantee it."

Cody smiled. "I couldn't ask for more than that..."

Bailey smiled. "So, are you okay now?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Good..." She paused and winked at him. "Lets just make sure that when its time, we have a beach to go home and walk on..."

Cody grinned. "I'm guessing Arizona is out then..."

Bailey laughed. "As if it wasn't already..."

Back across town, Zack was returning back to his office from visiting the football team's practice. As he walked back into his outer office, Mrs. Potts looked up at him.

"You have a visitor waiting in your office. She refused to make an appointment and come back."

Zack shrugged. "Oh well. Who is it?"

"She wouldn't give her name."

Zack opened the door and walked into his office. And as he did, a woman stood up. Zack guessed her to be about his age, and she was petite with long dark brown hair. He was about to speak when she did so first.

"You must me Mr. Martin. I'm here on behalf of Coach Kilmer. I'm his attorney."

Zack took a seat in his chair and kicked his feet up on the desk. "Okay. Why does he need an attorney?"

"He claims you have a personal vendetta against him and are harassing him preventing him from doing his job."

Zack laughed. "I never met the man until a couple of days ago. So sorry, no vendetta here. As for harassing him, who is he going to sue next? The mailman? The pizza delivery guy? Its a long list if he is going to file suit against everyone who is just doing their job."

The woman frowned. "If you keep up your actions against him, we'll see you in court."

Zack grinned. "Fine. You might want to wait though. If the results of this afternoon are what I think they are and they become public, he'll never coach even peewee hockey ever again..."

"You've left me no choice then. I'll be in touch."

"I look forward to it, Miss...I'm sorry. I didn't catch you name."

"Bennett...Maya Bennett."

__To be Continued...__


	22. The Results Are In

_Chapter 22_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Friday in Boston was due to be a big day as well. For Zack Martin, Friday was the day he was going to get the drug tests back from Jack. As he was getting dressed that morning, he contemplated in his mind what those results would bring. If they came back negative, he would have to begin coordinating the media release of the results which could lead to him being on one of the ESPN channels again. But, if they came back positive, a whole another course of action would be needed. And if they did come back positive, he wanted Coach Kilmer's resignation on his desk by the end of the day. Zack knew there was a possible lawsuit coming, but he didn't think the coach was that stupid.

Next door, once Cody and Bailey got the kids off to school, they had to finish getting ready themselves. Friday was the day of Cody's appointment with his doctor at Mass General. And even though he was still a little sore, Cody felt pretty good. He definitely thought he was getting back to normal. Now...if he could just get Bailey to concur with his self diagnosis. For the past week, they had still occasionally butted heads on what Cody should and should not be doing. She did still help him get cleaned up in the morning, and he was actually quite enjoying that part. But, they did get into a few drawn out discussions on topics ranging from Cody helping to make the bed to Cody getting outside and mowing the yard. He was just hoping to get clearance to resume his normal activities.

Cody was finishing buttoning up his shirt when Bailey popped back into the bedroom holding the keys to his SUV. "You about ready to go?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah..." He paused. "You remember when you got your walking boot off finally?"

Bailey smiled. "Of course. I could get back to my regular life with it gone."

"I hope I get the same kind of green light today."

"I know you do. And I hope you do too. I know this has been driving you crazy. But you know I've just been trying to take care of you..."

Cody smiled. "I know, Bails. And you know I appreciate everything you have done. But I was thinking about one more part of your last trip to the doctor back then..."

"What?"

"I let you drive home. Will you let me do the same?"

Bailey laughed. "We'll see. I think your poor SUV is finally enjoying being driven to its capabilities. Its going to miss me..."

Cody grinned back. "Well, a full check up will make it feel better too..."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on...Lets go."

Thirty minutes later, they pulled in Cody's parking spot in the garage at Mass General. The security guard was about to give them a hard time until he realized it was in fact Cody. He apologized and hoped he had a good checkup. And being the chief of medicine had its other perks. Most people have to wait to be called back to see the doctor. Not here. The doctor was waiting on Cody to show up and ushered him immediately back into the exam room.

And from there the doctor did a whole battery of tests on Cody including blood work and examining his wound. Once he was done, a rush was done on the rest of Cody's tests. So, he just sat there with his shirt open and began laughing. Bailey just looked at him.

"What?"

He shook his head. "Its just kind of surreal being on this side of things..."

She smiled at him. "Well, you'll be back here soon enough making others feel uncomfortable too..."

"I'll tell you what the first thing I'm going to do. I'm going to look into hospital gowns that are more modest and are less drafty. The ones we have now are horrible!"

"Whatever you say, Dear..."

Soon enough, the doctor returned with a smile on his face.

"Good news, Dr. Martin. You're healing perfectly. I think we can stop the steroids, and I'm ready to remove your stitches. I still want you to use a dressing and keep the wound clean. So, lets get rid of those bad boys..."

Twenty minutes later, Cody was once again stitches free with a clean dressing. He was buttoning up his shirt when the doctor went over a few more things.

"Just keep doing what you're doing and continue to take it easy..."

Cody spoke up. "Yeah, about that. Just what do you mean by taking it easy?"

Dr. Dorian laughed. "You're a doctor...you know what that means..."

"I know and you know, but could you explain it so my wife knows. She's not taking my word for it..."

Bailey rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Dr. Dorian smiled. "Basically, nothing overly strenuous. So no running any marathons or full contact sports. Normal things around the house should be fine as long there is no heavy lifting involved. Just do that for a couple of more weeks, and we'll check you out again."

Cody turned to Bailey and smiled. "See?"

"Alright, alright...You've made your point..." She paused. "Dr. Dorian, by nothing overly strenuous, I was wondering if..."

The doctor interrupted her. "That's one of the first questions people ask. And yes, he should be fine for that as well..."

Bailey kind of blushed but nodded. And with that, the appointment was over. They headed back outside to the car, and Bailey stopped and held up the car keys. "Okay, she's all yours again..."

Cody smiled at her. "And I get to drive the car too, right?"

Bailey laughed. "For now, the car. The other, we'll discuss later...So, we're out of the house. What do you want to do?"

"Well, we could grab lunch and then stop by and say hello to everyone over at BC on our way home."

"Sounds like a plan."

Speaking of BC, From ten in the morning on, Zack was constantly checking his watch and staring at his phone awaiting the phone call from Jack. By three that afternoon, he was on pins and needles waiting for it. When there was a knock at his office door, he thought maybe it was Jack coming by to deliver the results in person. And when he opened the door to find his brother and sister-in-law standing there, he groaned.

"Oh...its just you two..."

Cody smirked. "Nice to see you too, Bro..."

Zack ushered them into his office. "No offense, but I've been waiting on the drug test results all day. I was kind of hoping you were Jack bring them over..."

Cody shrugged. "Sorry. As of today, I'm officially off the juice."

Zack smiled. "That's good to hear..."

Cody grinned. "And its good to be here without worrying about being arrested..."

"Never going to forget that, are you?"

"Nope."

Bailey shook her head. "Anyways, we stopped by BC to see Max and Tapeworm and figured we'd stop by and see you while we're here. But, if you're busy, we can leave..."

"Nah...Having you two here will keep me from bouncing off the walls or doing something ill advised..."

"It never has before..."

Zack smirked at Bailey. "I swear...after twenty-five years, you two are starting to sound alike..."

Both just smiled. "Thanks."

Zack was about to say something when he heard his fax machine beginning to make noise. He ran over to it and waited for the documents to come through. The first page was a coversheet with a note from Jack saying a courier would be over to bring the original record of the results over in a little while. The next two pages were exactly what he had been waiting for all day. Glancing them over, he just shook his head.

Cody spoke up. "Well?"

Zack just looked up. "Thanks, Hank..." He turned back to Cody. "Twenty percent of the team tested positive. I actually thought it would be higher though..."

Bailey frowned. "Won't this be bad for the university? I mean, won't the NCAA try to step in and take away the title from last year?"

Zack shook his head. "Not if I spin it right...There is no proof that the players were on steroids last year. And I might be able to talk the guilty players into lesser honor code violations for their cooperation with this. If they agree, we should be able to get their silence about previous years."

Cody nodded. "What about the coach though? I assume you will fire him..."

Zack grinned. "And here I thought you had a legal mind, Baby Brother. If I fire him, he's going to go to the press and talk. If I let him think he's going out on his own terms, I may avoid any unpleasantries..."

Cody paused to think. "True, but make sure you make whatever deal you strike have a confidentiality clause in it..."

"Of course...Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to fax these results to someone..."

Zack returned to his fax machine and sent the results to another number. Once he was done, he picked up a business card and dialed a number.

"Ms. Bennett? Zack Martin here. I just faxed you something you might find very interesting..." He paused. "Of course I'll hold..."

Zack just looked up and grinned as he waited.

"Yes, that's exactly what you think it is. How about you speak with your client, and we'll talk Monday morning. See you then." And with that, Zack hung up and began laughing.

Cody shook his head. "I'm glad you weren't this diabolical when we were younger. I'm sure Moseby is too..."

"Well, lets just say I've learned a few things over the years. Anyways, this is cause for a celebration. With this and you getting back on your feet, I say we have a cook out."

Cody and Bailey shrugged. "Yeah, that actually sounds like fun. We can stop by the grocery store on the way home and start getting stuff prepared."

Zack nodded. "Spring for the good stuff. You know...filets, ribs, chicken..."

Cody grinned. "This is going to be fun...I get to grill again!"

Later that evening everyone was gathered at Zack and Cassie's house having a good time. Cody was happy to be manning the grill again and actually getting to do something normal. Everyone was celebrating the good weather, good friends and Cody still being with them. Well, they did until Cassie and Bailey both got a phone call at the same time.

They stepped away to take the phone calls, but when they returned, everyone could tell something was wrong. Cody frowned and turned to his wife.

"What's going on?"

"We just got calls from Abby and Beth. Something has happened on the ship." Bailey paused. "Turns out Wade Harrison's nephew was on the boat too. He kind of snapped when he found out what happened and took another girl hostage. And he pulled them both over the side of the ship and into the Mediterranean Sea..."

Cassie nodded. "We told them all they could come home if they were scared to stay..."

Addison just shook her head. "But all of our kids and Rachel are okay, right?"

Bailey nodded. "They all seem to be fine..."

"But Brady isn't taking it well. Seems no more than fifteen minutes before this happened, this other girl kissed Brady. And he's flipping out..."

Zack just shook his head. "Poor kid..."

The news put a damper on their evening, but everyone was relieved the kids were all okay. Cody just looked up. "Thanks, Grandpa...again."

_To be Continued..._


	23. Ramifications

_Chapter 23_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

Life in Boston moved along that weekend as well. Of course, all of the parents were worried about their children who were halfway across the world away from them. And they were constantly calling to check in on them to make sure they were really okay. By late Saturday in Boston, Cody & Bailey and Woody & Addison were able to relax a little with assurances from their kids that they were indeed alright. This wasn't the case with Zack and Cassie.

They had to make an appearance at BC's opening game against a sacrificial lamb, but they didn't stick around too long afterwards as they had other things on their minds. Their daughter had lost her roommate, and their son had lost...well, they weren't sure what the relationship between Brady and this other girl was exactly. But when Moseby had called them to discuss the idea of Brady seeing the school counselor, they readily agreed. And Saturday night, they had just gotten Patrick and Izzy into bed and were sitting around their kitchen table talking.

Cassie looked at her husband. "Okay, I remember some crazy things happened when we were on the boat, but no one ever died..."

Zack nodded. "I know. The closest we ever came was when that crazy Josh kid tried to shoot Cody..." He paused. "That's twice now Baby Bro has been shot at. I hope the third time's not the charm..."

"You can say that again. But what is going on with Brady? He's only been on the boat for about two months now. I don't get how he's taking the death of someone he's known for such a short time so hard..."

Zack shrugged. "I don't know. Without us being there, we didn't get to see what all was happening. I guess that's the downside of the ship. As a kid, I remember being excited about having the independence from Mom and Dad. As a parent, I'm not so thrilled with being out of the loop while they're getting their independence from us. I wonder if this is what Mom went through when we were there?"

Cassie sighed. "Maybe. But this just doesn't seem like Brady though. To be blunt, he always reminded me of you when I first met you..."

Zack laughed. "Hey, I did change when I met you. I mean..." He paused to consider something. "You don't think that Brady...?"

Cassie groaned. "Don't ask me that. Brady is still my little boy!"

Zack just smiled. "Baby, he's 14. I was only two years older when I met you. And he's only a year younger than when Cody met Bailey and Woody met Addison..."

She just shook her head. "And I just smiled and laughed when Bailey was fretting about Charlie's interest in one of the girls on the boat." She looked up. "Thanks, karma..."

"He's growing up. We have to accept that."

"Well, that's all and good...for later. But right now, I'm really worried about his mental state. What are we supposed to do?"

Zack paused. "Well, all we can really do is just be here for him when he needs us. Beyond that, there isn't much we can do. Thankfully, he's surrounded by Beth, Abby, Charlie and Nate. So, they'll have his back. Plus, he's going to see the ship's counselor."

"And how do we know this guy isn't anything like Mr. Blanket?"

Zack laughed. "Moseby said this guy actually has a doctoral degree in psychiatry. And actually, I think I may indirectly know of the guy."

Cassie just looked at him. "And how is that?"

"Well, Moseby said Dr. Crane's father, mother and uncle were all psychiatrists too. And I think his Dad is the same guy who used to be on the radio in Seattle while we were growing up there."

"You listened to a radio psychiatrist?"

"Nope, but Cody did. He said he was trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Anyways, this guy's name was Dr. Crane too. I think they may be father and son..."

Cassie just looked at him. "Uh huh..."

Zack smiled. "I mean it. And its kind of weird. The guy on the radio moved from Boston to Seattle. And we ended up moving from Seattle to Boston. That has to be a sign that this guy can help Brady, right?"

Cassie sighed again. "I sure hope so."

Next door, Cody and Bailey were getting back from the football game as well. And getting to go to the game had been a compromise in of itself. Bailey had been worried about Cody overdoing it by going, but he offered to forgo tailgating and just go for the game. Besides, he argued the game was against Harvard, and as proud Yale alums, they should be there to watch their hated rivals get destroyed and cheer about it. Reluctantly, Bailey did agree. And as they got home from the game, Cody just shook his head and laughed.

"And Zack used to give us grief about the Harvard-Yale games being bad? I hate to tell him if BC plays like they did today, he's going to be looking for a new coach soon..."

Bailey just rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You were on your phone texting Charlie and Abby back and forth all game. The only part you actually watched was the halftime show."

Cody grinned. "Well...you know how much I love it when marching bands spell stuff out. I was kind of disappointed though. BC isn't very difficult to spell..."

Bailey laughed. "What am I going to do with you?"

Cody paused and grinned again. "Well, the doctor did say you could do anything you wanted to now..."

She tapped her chin. "Yeah, I do believe I remember him saying something to that effect..."

"What happened to as soon as I was able to there would be no stopping you?"

Bailey smiled. "I was just teasing you, Sweetie. But, we do still have two children to make sure they are asleep first. Plus, we need to make sure the house is all locked up and all animals accounted for."

And as if on cue, two of said animals walked up and sat next to Cody's feet. He smiled back. "Two right here, and I'm sure I saw Arnie follow Ben upstairs and Sammy follow Annie upstairs."

"That still baffles me..." Bailey shook her head. "Why do those two have such a strong attachment to you?"

Cody smiled at her again. "I'm sure people have asked the same thing about you."

She just shook her head again and smiled. "Well, that's different. Besides, I don't care what other people think. But, you have no idea how happy I am to see that your mind is still as sharp as ever..."

"Of course. Somebody has to keep you on your toes."

"Thank goodness for that..."

Cody paused. "Speaking of me being almost back to normal, I'd like to officially ask you out again for our date night that we had to...reschedule."

She grinned. "I'd love to. Just tell me when, and I'll be there."

He grinned back. "How about next Friday night then?"

"Its a date."

Cody tapped his chin again. "That gives me a week to try to make up for our last one being cancelled. Back to the drawing board I suppose."

Bailey shook her head. "No...nothing fancy. I just want to spend it with you."

"Now you tell me. You couldn't have said that twenty-five years ago? I could have saved all that time trying to get those tickets for you. And do you realize what horrors poor Woody went through with that swordfish?"

She laughed again. "I remember. But, things are a lot different now. I'm not a fifteen year old girl who flips out over teenaged pop stars any longer. I'd like to think I'm a lot wiser now...with better tastes in music. Besides, even then I knew that it was who you spent the time with that mattered more than what you did. And I know it won't matter what you have planned, because I'll love it. I'll get to be with you, and that's something I will never take for granted again..."

He smiled at her. "I love you too."

"But, you were right about what you said earlier." Bailey grinned. "You want to lock up or go check on the kids?"

Cody grinned back. "See you upstairs in ten minutes!"

Everyone's weekend finally came to an end. For Cody and Bailey, it was the beginning of a new week were Cody was still supposed to be taking it easy. For everyone else, it was back to work as usual. Well, almost as usual. For Zack, he had a very important meeting that morning. So, he found himself sitting at his desk waiting on a phone call from the lawyer of his hockey coach. The university's general counsel had already been by early that morning to go over what Zack was and was not allowed to offer as part of his negotiations.

As Zack was sitting on his desk, there was a knock at his door. Not having any appointments scheduled for that morning due to clearing his schedule, he had no idea who would be showing up. When he yelled for whoever it was to come in, he was surprised to see it was none other then Maya Bennett.

"Ms. Bennett...This is a surprise. I figured you'd be calling me or showing up with Coach Kilmer."

Maya nodded. "Well, we've spent all weekend discussing the test results you've given us. While Coach Kilmer is still upset about you surprising him with that drug test, he finally realizes he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. So, I'm here to negotiate with you a settlement to our situation."

Zack paused. "Alright. Well, number one, I'm demanding his resignation immediately. If he wants to claim its for medical or family reasons, fine. But, we insist on a confidentiality clause where he is forbidden from speaking about the real reason for his leaving BC."

"I think we can agree to that..."

Zack smiled. "I'm not finished yet. Further, for lack of a better term, we want a non-compete clause. We're insisting on a at least four years away from coaching college hockey so that all players that may have been under his influence will be out of eligibility. And even once those four years are up, we insist that he not return to coaching at a school in Massachusetts, in our conference or at any other rival of Boston College..."

Maya frowned. "Don't you think that's excessive?"

He shrugged. "You tell me. If it came out that he ran a program that was rampant with banned substance abuse, do you think he would ever get a job again? Do you think if these players were brought before the Honor Council and were threatened with expulsion that they wouldn't be willing to tell everything they knew?"

She sighed. "Very well. Another point. What will happen to the students who tested positive?"

"Easy. We're going to deem them ineligible. We'll be working out deals with them where they will give up the rest of their eligibility and keep quiet about things in return for us continuing to honor their scholarships and not expelling them."

"What about financial compensation for my client?"

Zack grinned. "He can keep all perks he already has earned as well as what's in his retirement, but BC maintains that we owe him nothing more. If we fire him for cause...and you know we have grounds to do so...he would get nothing anyway. At least we're offering him the chance to keep his dignity and reputation."

Maya just looked at him. "Allow me to phone my client to see if he is agreeable."

Zack nodded. "Be my guest..."

Fifteen minutes later, Maya sat down opposite of Zack.

"Coach Kilmer is thinking about the offer and said he would call me back shortly."

Zack shrugged. "I've got all day. I cleared my schedule for this..."

Maya nodded and began looking around Zack's office when something caught her eye.

"Is that your high school diploma?"

"Yeah, it is."

She just looked at him. "You went to Seven Seas High?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah, my brother and I both spent our last three years of high school there. We met some of our best friends there as well as both of us meeting our wives."

Maya paused. "What a coincidence...I was supposed to go there myself. I was supposed to begin during the spring semester of my junior year. I had to drop out before I began though due to a family emergency. A couple of days later, my grandmother found a liver donor, so I was actually going to be able to go after all. But when I called back to tell them I was on my way, my spot had already been filled by another student. Another girl who lived with her aunt and already had a cousin on board the ship. If not for her, you and I would have probably been classmates. I've always wondered what that experience would have been like and how it might have changed my life..."

__To be Continued...__


	24. Getting Back to Normal

_Chapter 24_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

While Zack was in his office with Maya waiting for Coach Kilmer to call back as to whether he would accept the university's offer or not, Cody and Bailey were enjoying another morning with both of them at home for Cody as continued to recover. Bailey was doing a few loads of laundry when she came back up from the basement to find Cody sitting at the kitchen counter on his phone. So, she paused and held back to see what he was up to.

"Uh huh..." "Uh huh..." "Sounds good to me. Friday night at eight o'clock it is then. Thank you so much for your help." Cody closed his phone and sighed in relief.

"What's going on Friday night at eight o'clock?"

Cody whipped his head around and saw Bailey standing there smiling at him. He tried to cover. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

She shook her head and laughed. "I overheard your phone call. So, you're busted..."

He sighed. "Well, I was trying to arrange the details for our date night on Friday if you must know. How am I supposed to surprise you if you won't let me?"

Bailey walked over and wrapper her arm around his waist. "I know, but remember I told you that I didn't need anything fancy..."

Cody smiled up at her. "I know. But that doesn't stop me from trying to give you the best. Besides, I like going to nice places knowing I have the most beautiful woman in the world on my arm."

She just looked at him. "You've been telling me that for over twenty five years now..."

He kept grinning. "And I mean it every single time. Has my nose ever crinkled when I've said it?"

"Well...no."

Cody stood up to pull Bailey into a hug. "See...I'm being truthful then. I mean it, Bails. You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me...always have been and always will be."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you, Sweetie. Getting older, I know I don't look the same as I did when we were younger. I have more wrinkles now and more gray hair..."

He smiled and cut her off. "That's nonsense and you know it! Look in my eyes and tell me what you see..."

Bailey did and just kept smiling. "I know. You have no idea how good it makes me feel to know how you see me. I hear some of the other ladies at work talk, and they would kill for their husbands to compliment them even once. I guess in some marriages that have lasted for so long, people tend to get complacent and forget the fires they had for each other early on..."

Cody grinned. "I hope I showed you last night that my fire for you is burning as hot as ever!"

She laughed. "Oh you did...and then some. That's why when the other women talk, I don't say anything. I don't want them to get jealous..." She paused. "Besides, after I came so close to losing you, no way would I ever get complacent."

Cody leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Me either, Bails. I learned that you don't know when your time is going to be up. Knowing how close I came to cashing in my chips, there won't ever be a day that goes by that I won't let you know in some way just how much you mean to me."

"I couldn't agree more."

He was about to say something when his phone began ringing. He grinned at her. "I bet that is my confirmation for Friday night. Hold on a second." He answered the phone. "Dr. Cody Martin here..." "Uh huh..." "Uh huh..." He paused. "Really? Are you serious?" He grinned. "That's wonderful news! I'll see you next week!" Cody closed his phone and just kept grinning.

Bailey raised her eyebrows. "Well, since you said you'd see them next week, I take it that wasn't your confirmation, huh?"

"Nope. That was Dr. Dorian..."

Bailey paused. Even though she knew Cody was now out of the woods, she still got a little trepidation when his doctor called. "What did he have to say?"

Cody kept grinning. "He said he got more of my test results back in this morning. He wants to see me early next week. If all goes well, he'll clear me to return to work two weeks from today!"

Bailey's eyes went wide. "Really? In two weeks? That's awfully soon, isn't it?"

"I don't think so. I feel fine, Sweetheart." He laughed. "Eventually, I was going to have to return back to earn that ridiculous salary they pay me. Besides, I know you miss the animal shelter too..."

She paused. "Well, yeah, I do...but with us both here, I can keep an eye on you to make sure you're okay..."

Cody leaned in and kissed her. "I know. But we are going to have to return to our jobs eventually. The only way for us to continue being around the other all the time would be for one of us to hire the other to be their personal assistant..." He grinned. "...and I think we're both overqualified for those roles."

"I know..." She teased him. "And my current secretary actually listens to me from time to time..."

He kept grinning. "See? Besides, I'll have people around who will be happy to keep an eye on me for you. I'm pretty sure Todd and Anita would do that willingly."

Bailey sighed. "I guess you're right. I guess part of me has really enjoyed us being able to spend so much time together everyday. It kind of reminded me of our times in high school and college."

"It has to me too. But look at it this way. We've gotten a glimpse of what our retirement years are going to be like. I don't know about you, but I can't wait!"

She smiled. "You're right...we have. I can't wait either. I know it will be amazing when it happens."

"I say we head out for lunch to celebrate this good news."

"Yeah, good idea. Maybe I can stop by the office, check on things and let them know when I should be back..."

Cody smiled. "Good idea. I'll drop you off and head over to the Wholefoods store near there. I'll pick us up something special for dinner tonight."

Bailey smiled back. "That sounds good too. I guess you really are back to normal. I guess we can finally return back to our normal lives..."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. "Bails, there is nothing normal about us. I may be biased, but I happen to think we are extraordinary..."

"You're right...we are."

"I can think of one drawback of me heading back to the hospital though..."

"What's that?"

He grinned. "I won't be around the best nurse I could ever have all day long...the most beautiful and sexy one too..."

Bailey grinned back. "Smooth, Dr. Martin...Come on...lets get going. That way will still have some time alone this afternoon before the kids get home..."

Meanwhile, back at Zack's office on the BC campus, he was sitting at his desk watching Maya Bennett pacing back and forth as she talked on her phone with Coach Kilmer. Finally, she closed her phone and turned back to Zack. She walked back over to her chair and sat down.

"Looks like we have a deal. You get the paperwork done, and he said he'd sign it."

Zack nodded and picked up his phone. After a quick conversation with the university's general counsel outlining the agreement, he hung up the phone and turned back to Maya.

"My guy says he can have the paperwork done by first thing in the morning. I'll have him courier them over to your office before noon. Hopefully, we can have everything taken care of by the end of the week."

Maya nodded. "Sounds good. Well, Mr. Martin. I wish I could say it was nice doing business with you, but you pretty much had us over a barrel." She paused. "That's the one thing that still bothers me. Coach Kilmer was sure that there were no leaks on his team. How did you have any idea this was going on?"

Zack paused and laughed. "Well...lets just say I have by own sources..." Briefly, he looked up and winked.

"And I'm guessing you aren't going to divulge who they are, are you?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so. Maybe this incident will give pause to every other coach here to play by the rules."

She nodded. "Probably so. Have you always been the law abiding type?"

Zack laughed again. "Hardly. When I was a kid, I was a real hellraiser. I was the master prankster in school. The only time I was actually law abiding was when I was a temporary hall monitor on the boat..."

Maya sighed. "The boat. I bet that must have been some experience. I wish I could have gotten to see it first hand..."

He paused. "No offense, but from what you said, the person who ended up taking your place is now my wife. So, I'm kind of glad she got in over you. I'm sure you would have probably fit in well, but I couldn't imagine my life without her in it. She was the one who got me to settle down, and she was the one who pushed me to college and encouraged me to get my MBA."

"Did you two go to college together too?"

"We did. As ironic as it sounds, we're both UCONN grads."

"Interesting. I went to St. Johns. Of course, that was after I did two years in Chad as part of the peace corps."

Zack just looked at her. "Really? Why would you want to do that?"

"To help people."

"No offense, but then you should reconsider who you represent from now on..."

Maya rolled her eyes. "I already said I was doing it as a favor. But, as it turns out, there wasn't much I could do..." She paused and grinned. "You may have won this round, Mr. Martin. But something tells me it won't be the last time you and I will face off..."

Over in Boston, Cody had dropped Bailey off at the animal shelters while he headed over to the Wholefoods store. As Bailey walked in, Katie was just walking by when she noticed Bailey and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Bailey? What are you doing here?"

Bailey smiled. "Just stopping by to see this place and to find out if it was falling apart without me..."

Katie laughed. "We're still getting by. Why? You coming back soon?"

"Well, if all goes well, I'll be back two weeks from today."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Cody's doctor wants to check him out next week once more. If he passes, he's releasing him to go back to work."

Katie smiled. "That's wonderful news! Where is my Cuz anyways?"

"He's heading over to Wholefoods before coming back to pick me up. I'll make sure he comes in to say hello. So, have I missed anything interesting around here?"

"Well, after what went down, Mr. Tipton hired an accountant for every division. He wants to make sure no one else tries to swindle the company again."

"Oh? Have we already been assigned one?"

"Yeah, his name is Dan. He just started last Wednesday, and he's around here somewhere getting a feel for everything..." Katie paused. "Actually, he's kind of a sad story. His wife was killed by a drunk driver about six months ago. He moved here to Boston to start over..."

Bailey frowned. "I'm so sorry to hear that. If not for a little divine intervention, I might be in the same situation that he is..."

"Yeah, but you're not..."

Bailey smiled. "I know. Cody and I were talking about the same thing this morning. We both know how lucky we are now and have vowed never to let a day go by without telling each other how much they mean to us."

Katie raised her eyebrow. "Why do I doubt that was ever an issue before?"

"It wasn't, but sometimes things happen to really put things in focus. Anyways, how are things really going around here?"

"Well, why don't we step into your office and I'll show you."

As Bailey and Katie did that, a man happened to be watching them. He turned to the person who was showing him around. "Who was that?"

"Oh...that was Dr. Martin. You know, the director and chief vet around here. In other words, the big boss lady."

Dan frowned. "How come I haven't see her around here before?"

"She's been on leave for a little while. Her husband was shot."

His face fell. "Oh...I'm so sorry to hear that. I kind of know what she must be going through..."

"Yeah, she's known her husband since they were sophomores in high school. They were very much in love with each other."

Dan nodded. "I know that feeling too."

"Probably best not to bring it up around her. Probably a very touchy subject..."

"Good call..." He checked his watch. "Anyways, I have to go. I have to pick up my daughter from preschool. See you tomorrow, Frank."

About twenty minutes later, Cody walked into the animal shelter and opened the door to Bailey's office. He smiled when he saw his wife and cousin. "Hey...I'm here."

Katie got up to hug him. "So good to see you out and about again, Cuz..."

"Good to be seen out and about again..." He smiled and winked at Bailey. "...but my private nurse has been strict. Good but strict."

Bailey rolled her eyes and laughed. "Uh huh. Well, I think I should be getting you home anyways." She turned to Katie. "I'll be in touch if I won't be back in two weeks."

"Sounds good."

Cody and Bailey headed out, and as they did, Frank stopped dead in his tracks looking like he had saw a ghost. He turned to one of his co-workers.

"I thought Dr. Martin's husband had been shot?"

"He was..."

"But I just saw him leave with her!"

She just looked at him like he was crazy. "Of course you did. He was shot, but he made a full recovery. He's going to be fine."

"How did I not know that?"

"Because you're an idiot!"

Frank paused and just shrugged his shoulders and went back to what he was doing. After a few minutes, he was so engrossed in what he was doing, he completely forgot about seeing Cody.

__To be Continued...__

**AN: Yes, I'm back with the dual stories. Now, don't expect them to be posted every night like I did before. I don't have all the time that I used to to write, but I figure 2-3 times a week is doable.**__  
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	25. The Good, the Bad, and the Strange

_Chapter 25_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

_And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so..._

The rest of that week flew by pretty smoothly. Cody continued to abide by Bailey's instructions and took it easy while everyone else's lives marched on. From what she could observe, Bailey truly believed Cody was pretty much back to completely normal...or as normal as he ever was, and for that, she was eternally grateful. Her constant worrying about him overextending himself began to wane, and she even let him resume doing his ordinary chores around the house. Even though it was almost October, Cody was ecstatic to finally mow the yard again. He had really looked forward to it when they first bought the house after not ever having one before, but that had disappeared quickly when he realized how tedious and sweaty it could get. But doing something so ordinary brought a large smile to his face. And seeing him smile made Bailey smile.

As for Zack, the agreement for Coach Kilmer to resign was signed and completed by the end of the week. Zack even found himself standing in the back of the press conference trying not to bust out laughing as Coach Kilmer wept in front of the cameras explaining how he was stepping down due to personal health reasons. If he hadn't agreed to let Kilmer have this one last moment for himself, Zack would have had to answers for the press too. And that was a good thing. Something else that afternoon had taken away his attention. Mysteriously, his head baseball coach had tendered his resignation as well, claiming to accept a job on the west coast. So, while it was too late to begin a search for a permanent hockey coach, he was faced with now looking for a new baseball coach to occupy his time. Fortunately though, he had a good idea about what he was going to do about that.

On Monday of the next week, Cody and Bailey headed back to Mass General for Cody's check up. And after going through another round of being poked, prodded and blood drawn, both of them just sat in the doctor's office waiting for Dr. Dorian to return to them.

"From the way everyone stopped you to talk, I think they're ready for you to get back here next week..."

Cody laughed. "Seems that way. Nice to know I was missed."

Bailey just shook her head. "Of course you were. You're the best chief of medicine they've ever had around here."

"I appreciate that, Sweetheart, but I think you're biased..."

She just smiled. "And if I am?"

He smiled. "Fine with me. Shows me that you care..."

She just gave him a look. "Cody..."

"Bails, I was kidding." He pulled her over on to his lap. "I've missed this place too, but I'll miss getting to see your beautiful smile and hear your melodic voice any hour of the day I want to. I guess I'll have to go back to looking at the picture of you on my desk to get me through my day."

"I'll have to do the same with your picture too..." She leaned in and kissed him.

About that time, Dr. Dorian walked back into his office and caught the chief of medicine kissing his wife. He just shook his head and laughed.

"Good thing I took your pulse rate earlier. I'm sure its higher now..."

Immediately, Cody and Bailey broke apart, and both were a little embarrassed. "Sorry about that..."

"Don't worry about it. The Chief looks happy, and we all want him in a good mood when he comes back to work on Monday..."

It took a few seconds, but both Cody and Bailey caught on to what he said. "You mean I'm okay now?"

Dr. Dorian smiled. "Yeah. Physically, you're fine. Your body is healing perfectly, and there will be no permanent damage. Hell, Dr. Troy in plastic surgery has offered to remove your scar if you want him too..."

Cody just turned to Bailey to see what her response was. But he found her looking right back at him. "What do you think, Bails?"

"Its your call, Cody."

He smiled. "Uh uh. Its our call."

She smiled back. "Well, to be honest, I would rather you did keep it. It will be a badge of honor, and a reminder to me to never let a day go by without letting you know how much I love you. Besides, they say chicks dig scars..."

Cody laughed and turned back to Dr. Dorian. "Tell Dr. Troy thanks but no thanks."

"Alright then. Well, everything looks good. I guess I'll see you next Monday then."

Cody grinned. "Thanks, Dr. Dorian." He turned to Bailey. "Let go out and celebrate."

Bailey grinned back. "Good idea."

Both gathered their things to leave when Dr. Dorian stopped them. "Actually, before you leave, Dr. Bowles wants to see you in your office for a few minutes."

Cody turned to him. "Dr. Bowles as in Chairman of the Board Dr. Bowles?"

"Yeah. I told him I would tell you..."

Cody shrugged and turned to Bailey. "Why don't you go call the shelter and tell them you'll be back on Monday, and I'll find out what the chairman wants."

Bailey nodded. "Sounds good. Since I can't use my cell phone inside of here, I'll meet you at the car."

Cody headed up to his office. After stopping briefly to talk to his secretary and letting her know he'd be back on Monday, he walked into his office to find the hospital's chairman of the board looking at one of the books on Cody's shelf. When Cody walked in, Dr. Bowles looked up and smiled.

"Good to see you again, Dr. Martin. Glad to hear you'll be back full time on Monday."

Cody smiled. "It will be good to be back. Dr. Dorian said you needed to see me about something?"

"Yes. Seems like a major opportunity has come knocking at Mass General's door..."

"What kind of opportunity?"

Dr. Bowles grinned. "What do you know about Worcester General Hospital?"

Cody paused. "Well, I know they are doing good work there. They've invested heavily in several departments, and in so doing, have become the primary teaching hospital for the UMass medical school. And next to Mass General, they are one of the top research hospitals in New England."

"Exactly!"

"But what does that have to do with us?"

Dr. Bowles laughed. "Well, in their desire to improve, they have spread their money too thin. So thin that they may be ripe to be bought out..."

Cody's eyes went wide. "Are you serious? If we bought them, we'd almost have a medical monopoly in the state."

"Right again. I have people working behind the scenes to find out if its possible. If it is, we'd rename it Massachusetts General West. Cody, this could be the opportunity of both of our professional careers. It would be under our watch that Mass General made history and cemented its reputation!"

Cody nodded. "True. But only if the deal makes sense for us. Expansion would be nice, but not if it crippled us in the process."

Dr. Bowles grinned again. "And that's why you're our chief of medicine. Not only do you know medicine, but you have an economics background from Yale. Right now, we're still in the preliminary stages. But I think its going to happen, and probably rather rapidly. And I want you on the small committee I'm forming to explore this option."

"Oh...yeah, sure. Of course, I'd be happy too."

"Excellent. Well, I'll let you get back home now. Next week, we have work to do! And for the time being, I need you to keep this on the down low."

By the time Cody got back out to the car, Bailey was just finishing her phone call.

"They looking forward to you returning next week?"

Bailey laughed. "I think Katie is...She's ready for me to take over being the boss again..."

"Is everything okay there?"

"Well, there might be a situation, but she's keeping an eye on things. She said she would fill me in on everything when I get back on Monday."

Cody nodded. "I'm sure you'll be able to handle it." He grinned. "I mean...it has to be easier than nursing me back to health."

She laughed again. "We'll see. What did Dr. Bowles want?"

"Lets get in the car, and I'll tell you. I'm supposed to be keeping it secret, but I know I can trust you."

By the time they got the restaurant for lunch, Bailey just looked at Cody.

"Wow...that would be impressive! You'd have your name in gold letters up on the wall there for forever."

Cody smiled. "Dr. Bowles said it would be our professional legacies."

"Well, it would!"

He shrugged. "Maybe, but my real legacy is you and the kids. Anything beyond that is just icing on the cake..."

Bailey grinned. "Good answer..."

Later that afternoon, Cody was outside the house trimming some of the shrubs when Zack pulled in next door. Once Zack got out of the car, he walked over to his brother and grinned.

"I'll pay you $10 to do mine next."

Cody shook his head and laughed. "No thanks. I'm just doing this now because I won't have time to next week."

"I take it you got cleared to head back to work then."

He nodded. "Yeah. My doctor said I was just fine now."

"Excellent. I'm happy to hear that."

"How about you? I caught part of the press conference in the waiting room this morning. Looks like you're going to be busy now."

Zack shrugged. "Not really. No good coach is going to leave their current program this close to the season starting. I've put some feelers out to see who would be interested next year, but for now, one of Kilmer's old assistants is the interim coach."

"Can you trust him?"

"Yeah, turns out he had no idea what was going on. Anyways, I have something else to take care of first."

"What's that?"

"My baseball coach resigned today. Left for the west coast. If it had been the SEC, I could understand, but my gut's telling me he saw the writing on the wall and booked before something happened to him."

"So, are you compiling candidates?"

Zack grinned. "Nope. In fact, I've already offered the job to someone. Just waiting for him to discuss it with his family and let me know."

"This guy must be good if you offered so quickly..."

Zack laughed. "Lets just say he would be a home run hire here in Boston..."

__To be Continued...__

**AN: Speaking of baseball, I watched the ESPN special on Steve Bartman tonight. I admit...back in 2003, I wanted to do evil things to him. I guess I've grown up since then as I now feel sorry for the guy. Oh well, there will be an update to NKOTB on Thursday. I know this because I've already written it! LOL**__  
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